DEVOURER, from Sweden, returns from the black depths of hell with their latest full-length album, “The Wicked Ones”, released through Iron, Blood And Death Corporation on CD. After more than two decades of creating raw Black Metal, this duo is attacking again this year 2025 with this full-length. “The Wicked Ones” is DEVOURER’s fifth album and marks a new chapter for the band, one colder, more merciless if you will. And I don’t think DEVOURER is reinventing the wheel at this point, but they’re making sure their music goes straight to the bone. This album is delivered with speed, precision and filth, managing to balance aggression with atmosphere in a way or another. We have John Falk on guitars and he just adds his blueprint to the album. Oksana Rage’s vocals are a highlight, moving across a range that is simply ritualistic. I liked the way tracks like ‘The Atomic Redeemer’ and ‘Thanatomaniac’ are incorporated into the release. Both tracks slow things down, creating a suffocating atmosphere but still keeping the Black Metal spirit, so they know when to hold back and when to let everything fly. Closing out with ‘Dystopian’ and ‘The Crimson Serpents’, the band shows a more oppressive side and you feel like they descend into darkness, where pain and anguish will remain eternally. “The Wicked Ones” is another chapter in a story that’s only gotten darker with time. If you haven’t tasted DEVOURER before, this is a good place to start for sure. It’s fierce, it’s cold and oppressive as hell. More info here: www.facebook.com/devourermetal, www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61563068500501