Devolved - Technologies
I don’t know why Devolved sent me its debut album (MGM, 2001) for review, instead of its more recent effort, Calculated (Modern, 2004). I also don’t know why it included a sampler CD containing two tracks each from Technologies and Calculated; no non-radio entity would want such a truncated offering. Finally, I don’t know why this Australian band relocated to Los Angeles (trading in two members along the way) “to pursue a larger audience.” I suppose America is a much bigger metal market than Australia. But, dude…Los Angeles.
Baffling business decisions aside, Technologies is interesting because it mines a rather anachronistic sound. Monolithic machine-gun riffs in lockstep with double bass drums, samples and melodic keyboards, lyrics about technology – sound familiar? We’re talking early Fear Factory, before they started sucking big balls.
But Devolved doesn’t merely imitate Fear Factory (unlike certain bands today). Instead, it plays straightforward death metal, with melodic tangents and Suffocation-esque slower parts. The band is extremely tight. Hooks come here and there from keyboards, solos, and clean tones, though these bits are too brief. “Functional Conflict” and “Emergence,” tucked away at the end, explore varied tones and experimental structures – more like that, please!
The faceless vocals are the Achilles heel here, but Devolved has a new singer now, and its current demos suggest that more diverse vocals are forthcoming. I miss this type of technology-obsessed death metal, so maybe Devolved will pick up where Fear Factory left off. You can find Calculated for cheap at the band’s MySpace.
