Manipunation

I Shall Devour is one of the most promising bands to emerge out of Australia. They sound like the next TAIM. In this short but sweet release, you'll hear superb musicianship, excellent production, and tons of potential.

Where do I begin? Well firstly, the guitars are technical as fuck and throw in plenty of strong, evil riffs. They are played with such impressive speed and precision, you may even forget this is a deathcore release. The melody is extremely on point, and it helps make it easier to distinguish song from song. Also, every song has a solo, which not only shows how talented the band truly is, but it also proves that deathcore CAN have solos, to all those who don't believe so. Another huge plus, you can actually hear the bass on this album, which has a nice, crisp, and beefy tone. It is played along just as solidly as the guitars are, and he helps cover the rhythm section very well.

The drumming is also well executed, and is at the perfect volume. The best part about it is how varied it is. He throws in some excellent patterns, changes speeds, and knows how to follow with the rest of the band cohesively. The double bass is played at the right speeds at the right times, and the blast beats are well played too. Combine the intensity of it with the thick production and you get a fucking unstoppable drumming machine. Amazing. I might add that there are some keyboards on this EP, but they do not fail to impress at all. They are put in at the perfect times, and add more atmosphere to the music. For example, they complement the ending of Forever Imperfect along with the amazing rhythm section very well and it pretty much fits like a glove. Also in the song Pessimistic Misery, they truly sound creepy and haunting, and make the music stand out even better than it already is.

And now for the vocals. Jarrod Eagleton could honestly be one of my favorite vocalists. I can tell he uses a lot of power, and intensity in his vocals without sounding overly forced. His low screams are very low, and they almost lean closer to gutturals. His highs too sound very demonic and help compliment the evil sound of the band greatly, and he uses both styles at the right amount. However, my one and only problem with this EP is that the vocals could be mixed a bit higher. While not heavily inaudible, they are not as loud and prominent as the instrumentation. But otherwise, amazing vocals.

In conclusion, this will honestly be the next best band out of Australia. The band members know how to handle their instruments, and there is little to nothing I would criticize. The production itself is very solid and sounds nice and crisp. The instrumentation is nicely mixed, particularly the bass, but like I already mentioned, the vocals could be a little higher. Still, if I Shall Devour impresses me with their upcoming full length The Misanthropist just as much or even more than this release, then they will easily be one of my favorite deathcore acts. Manipunation falls short of nearly nothing.