By looking at the cover art, it is not easy to pinpoint what this album is all about. One could be lead into thinking Devilry is perhaps a progressive or an extreme act. What about those two silhouettes of soldiers? Military elements are actually present on this CD in the shape of war samplings, and some victory type of music as well.
Devilry is in fact a Death Metal band. I normally don't bother reviewing that type of music, but since the label, located in the Netherlands, sent me this physical promo in the mail, I figured, I should give it a try. Rites For the Spring of Supremacy ended up being not too bad. This is kick arse extreme music, with atmosphere and cool time signatures, which give their music a bit of a progressive edge. Their style is somewhat repetitive, still the 33 minutes CD never becomes boring. The guitar work remains intricate, while the drumming tends to be acrobatic. Some crazy solos are popping up here and there too. A few compositions have a more moderate pace with crunch such as: " C.O.T.N.O.", "Braced With a Sense of Purpose" and "Creed of the Old Fighter". Closing track appears as a song of victory with electronics, samplings, which turn up to be an industrial number filled with darkness.
Rites for the Spring of Supremacy is an overall good Death Metal disc that, unlike the mass produced releases of the genre, don't fall into redundancy or sheer brutality.
Track Listing:
1 - Spearhead of Triumph
2 - A.D.V.A.
3 - The Fourth Rise
4 - T.O.T.W.E.
5 - Werwolf
6 - C.O.T.N.O.
7 - Braced With a Sense of Purpose
8 - T.O.T.W.A.
9 - Creed of the Old Fighter
10 - Powerbanner
11 - Barbaryan
12 - Prelude to Imperium