Much to the resounding joy of Extreme Metal fans worldwide, one of the biggest ever names in Brutal Death Metal and Slam returned last month with a three track EP. Often revered as one of the most influential and well respected bands in Death Metal’s most punishing bloodied avenue, Devourment reinstated their claim to BDM’s throne of polished femur bones with the release of 2019’s modern classic album ‘Obscene Majesty’. This new EP, which is entitled ‘Pious Impiety’ stands as the first offering of new Devourment material in seven years and its arrival brings with it a tidal wave of attention from within the global scene.
Introducing this short batch of slamming solidified vomit is the title track which opens to a short vocal sample with some atmospheric soundbites. Soon after, the band demolishes their way into the picture like some sort of gigantic well-armoured tank making light work of battering its way through a dozen reinforced concrete walls. This is the modern incarnation of Devourment that we have all come to expect, a lower-mid and bass dominant freight train enhanced by some well-executed modern production tendencies. In a similar fashion to their sound on ‘Obscene Majesty’, here the band feels incredibly huge without giving in to the penchant for boring and tacky production-induced maximalisation that plagues the landscape of much of contemporary Slam. At present, this brutal lane is an oversaturated field and Devourment are yet again proving that some acts simply do it better.
‘Mortiferious Dependency’ ramps up the all-enveloping chaos to an even greater realm of absurdity. The track is a wall of controlled insanity so impassable that it feels as if my headphones are wearing me instead of the other way around. I quite enjoy the tone of some of the metallic clanging that arises within the percussion towards the song’s final third and many of the riff ideas are blue-blooded Slam excellence. ‘Advanced Stage Decomposition’ is the third and final cut on the EP and offers some slight variations on tempo indulgence. This track also highlights one of this release’s most notable qualities, the obvious complementary interplay between all performances here. Devourment aren’t just a typical Slam band attempting an all out blind maximal assault, they’re a serious collective of skilled musicians and songwriters.
Whilst the contemporary form of Devourment is very far removed from the raw and hyper compressed genetics of their iconic 1999 debut ‘Molesting the Decapitated’, this current era is indeed serving the band’s legacy quite well. This new three track EP is a short collection of very well executed contemporary Brutal Slamming Death Metal and is a must listen for all Extreme Metal fans in 2026.
