The
7th release by the Russian label is constituted by 45 minutes of vampiresc
Black metal between Cradle of Filth, Dimmu Borgir and some symphonic
solutions, as already evinced in the opener "Morrigan (Illusory
Queen of War)", where the 2 guitars duel until one of them
flees for a very classic solo. The sounds of the 2 axes are very distinct,
cos one is more classic and the other has a fatter distortion. Worth
mentioning the final melodic solo twined with the keyboards; kicks ass!
The following "Impious in the Grey Skin" starts
with harmless keys, then you find the incredibly beautiful goddess Helen's
trills, matched with Elf's freezing male vocals. I think people into
Nightwish and Children of Bodom will like this composition, which also
includes a few piercing vocals and some sporadic growls. "Tackhisis"
and "My Witch" mix Black, gothic and electro elements.
The former is very wicked, fast and contains several keyboards breaks,
the usual usage of male and female vocals and a couple of twisted riffs;
the latter begins slow and elegant, but second by second offers a crescendo
made of guitars, drum beats, female moans by Viscera's Nastya (I wish
I could see her too, if her body's as cute as her voice, holy shit!);
in the end this song shows a keyboards solo, while the screams and the
riffs might remind of C.O.F. and similar symphonic Black metal bands
again.
A nice blend of power and black metal can be heard in "Call
Me When I Die...", which must be remembered through its good
6-string solo, one nice passage where female vocals emerge after some
instrumental seconds; of course the keyboards carpets are top-notch
here as well, and so are the ending bass lines accompanied by wind blows
in the background. This is probably the highest top achieved by Michurinsk's
5-piece. Almost 10 minutes compose the last song, "Darkness",
reminding the most dynamic and cruellest Dani's act; I suggest you read
G.G. Byron's wonderful lyrics about an omening nightmare, but if you
don't pay attention to lyrics, you must at least listen to the great
guitar solo, overdubbed with keyboards and female vocals, and enjoy
the excellent hook Elf's screams plus stopped riffs; by the way, in
my opinion the best riffs are just in this track.
The songs are so full of time changes and shades that it's wrong to
try to be more specific, just a closing note about the recording, that
is extremely clean and defined. Devil May Care use a drum machine, yet
this isn't made become a fault, as it's integrated with the rest of
the sounds well. If you - like me - miss such a style which is a little
obsolete nowadays, and don't care about trends, you may bet on them
without fear.
MARKUS GANZHERRLICH - 4/4/04
Contact:
E-mail:
devilmc@mail.ru
www.devil-may-care.ru
