Devil Unnamed - Media! Review

Bands with social agendas amuse the hell out of me. Even more if they are edged to Death Metal as this “Media!” is with rough vocals that a little more would be death growls. Musicwise, Devil Unnamed – Wow! What a band name, isn’t it? – is a bricolage of many Metal influences and the album reflects all of them sometimes in the same track. Go right to the sixth track “Darkest Dungeon” and dare to tell me I’m wrong. Pay attentioon to the cool instrumental passage almost in the end where the guitars and the bass talk for some time. It sounds pretty simple, but neverthless amazing.

Listening to second track “Collateral Damage” it just ocurred to me now that Devil Unnamed and Ice-T’s Body County sound pretty much similar not only in terms of music, but also in the intent. It’s clear that both want to shock with their political agendas pro-left and pro-minorities. Both bands are musical bricolages of many Metal and non-Metal influences and vocals give their best to sound the more aggressive they get without crossing the borders of Old School Heavy Metal. “Shadows,” for instance, could be in a Body Count album easyly. Listen to the tones of the guitars and how they react in each breakdown and tell me if they sound as Body Count or not. I ask my fan to pay closs attention to the name of the tracks and tell me if their themes don’t remind Body Count’s as well. I guess at least “Social Justice Warriors” do a lot. A tiny difference, though, is that vocals in Devil Unnamed are a bit more debauched and ironic. I have to say that what caught me the most was the tone of the guitars.

Devil Unnamed are the result of the best intents of his mastermind bassist Christian “Bazzshot” Bartels who wanted a band that sounded without sonic boundaries. Well, mission accomplished, if you ask me. “Media!” does sound like this and pushing it a little more it could be much more near the Extreme Metal area. However, I think this wasn’t the real intent. From where I’m standing the band is pretty satisfied with the melting they did in here. Got to tell that I’m as well. By the way, what an interesting and enigmatic cover showing the alter ego of the band: the Devil Unnamed who we all who must be. It’s someone that answers for many names. No, it’s not the Morningstar. It’s more human, more earthly.

Devil Unnamed “Media!” was independently released on November 20th.

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