“Time to Repent” from from Time to Repent

Last year when they put out their EP, Magister Mundi Xum , Devil became an instant hit. This NWOBHM band came out of nowhere with a refreshing and addicting sound. Everything about Devil embodied doom and heavy metal at its finest. You really can’t go wrong here. When the band released their new full-length, Time to Repent, my palms began to sweat. After many rotations, one thing is obvious: Time to Repent is void of any ostentation. There’s no futile attempts at creating anything epic or over-produced. What we have here is down to Earth (or under-Earth) doom metal.

Coming hot off “The Welcome (intro)” is “Break the Curse” and it’s a scorcher. Its tempo and the fact that the solo kicks in at the right moment jump starts the album with confidence. Next up is “Blood Is Boiling,” a catchy and melodic trip into doom! One familiar track is “Time to Repent”, the cover track. This was by far my favorite cut off Magister Mundi Xum and the re-recording sounds better than ever!

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“At the Blacksmith’s” from Time to Repent

Straight out of the Zeppelin and Sir Lord Baltimore camp is “Crazy Woman,” an obvious homage to heavy rock and the 70’s. The riffs, tempo and pace are all there. The vocals are spookier, with more reverb and you can’t deny the impact. But the thing to remember is that Devil, with its Satanic overtones, remain true to the hard rock and doom metal mentality. No matter what the band is, writing a song about women or a woman is straight in line with the rock mentality. All that aside, “Open Casket” brings us back to the crypt to rot. This track is smoking hot, coming in with a bit of fire and a slightly more fast-paced groove.

“Open Casket” from from Time to Repent

“Death of a Sorcerer” is on the slower side but that’s OK because “At the Blacksmith’s,” the opener to their EP has been re-recorded and kicks even more ass. You’ll find yourself infected with this one! “Howling (At the World)” and “Howling pt. II (outro)” end out Time to Repent and when the dust is settled and the drugs have worn off, you’re left having just experienced one of the best doom metal releases in 2011. Devil proves that a lack of pretension and a respect for old heavy metal acts can be a winning combination. Don’t miss this one!