You can’t always judge a book by its cover, and you can’t always judge a band by its name. A name like The Devil’s Blood, to me, screams black metal. Photos of the band performing covered in blood and the ramblings about ritual and sacrifice on the band’s Myspace page only lend credence to such an assumption. The Devil’s Blood, however, do not play black metal nor, in fact, any sort of metal at all. This Dutch act’s full-length debut, The Time of No Time Evermore, is a rock record and not even a particularly hard-rocking one at that. The Devil’s Blood play a sort a retro-leaning, vaguely psychedelic rock highlighted by the larger than life vocals of the band’s frontwoman, known only as “F.”
The Devil’s Blood, from what I gather from the blurbs of text on the band’s website, intends its music to be the soundtrack to a sort of grand Satanic ritual, wherein the participants groove to the music, fuck like beasts and maybe sacrifice a few people. Or maybe that is just shtick. In any case, The Devil’s Blood’s music is entirely too pleasant to inspire such wanton acts of lust and cruelty. While the band does deal in minor keys, the music is far less abrasive than anything your average metal fan will be accustomed to. Furthermore, if I had to choose one word to describe Miss F’s voice, it would probably be angelic.
The vocals are a huge focal point on The Time of No Time Evermore. F’s performance is so rich and multifaceted it is practically a symphony unto itself. The manner in which F layers her vocals brings to mind John Arch. Between backing vocals, harmonies and counter melodies, there has to be, at times, at least half a dozen competing vocal tracks. How F plans to replicate this performance in a live setting is quite a mystery, but it makes for a great sounding record.
The Devil’s Blood’s music, being vocally focused and rock based, does not emphasize big meaty riffs in the same way metal does. The guitars are only mildly distorted, tending to shimmer and jangle rather than hack and slash. The rhythm playing is oriented more around groove and built from simple chord progressions. That is not to say, however that the guitars do not play an important role; the album is riddled with harmonized lead lines, melodic hooks and scorching solos that shine just as brightly as the vocals.
While none of the material on The Time of No Time Evermore is sub-par, some tracks burn hotter than others. The wistful tune “The Yonder Beckons” features a delicate, haunting performance by F, and some dual lead work that reminds me of the Eagles. With “Christ or Cocaine,” the band gets some swagger in its step. The track’s infectious throbbing pulse is capped off by a funky harmonized guitar hook (I told you they were everywhere) and some particularly flashy leads. “The Anti-Kosmik Magick” closes the album one of F’s stronger choruses of the album, and fills out its eleven-minute running time (eight and a half if you don’t count the two and a half minutes of noisy bullshit at the end), with an absolutely epic, solo-filled outro.
The Time of No Time Evermore does not grant me anything resembling the “spiritual release” The Devil’s Blood seems to be aiming for, but it is one hell of an enjoyable listen, particularly when relaxing on a warm summer evening, Heineken in hand. Obviously, this is not a metal record, but I can see it having great appeal for those who appreciate bands like Witchcraft, early Pentagram, Thin Lizzy and good rock music in general.
