UMUR
"Emanation From Below" is the debut full-length studio album by Polish death metal act Deivos. The album was released through Empire Records in November 2006. Deivos were formed in 1997, so the album has been a long time coming, although the band released a demo in 1999 and the "Hostile Blood" EP in 2003. Since the release of "Hostile Blood (2003)", second guitarist Mścisław has been added to the lineup, making the band a four-piece on this album.
Stylistically the material on "Emanation From Below" continue the brutal technical death metal style from the "Hostile Blood (2003)" EP. Deivos are a very skilled and well playing band and their powerful and brutal approach is definitely one of the assets of the album. The songwriting is relatively varied and memorable for the genre, but it´s not exactly the most original sounding release. That´s not a major issue in any way though as Deivos fully make up for it with technically brilliant playing, interesting songwriting ideas (for example I think I hear a cowbell being used a couple of time during the playing time, and to great effect), and a primal raw power which isn´t matched by many. Sometimes it feels like being hit by a train in a frontal collision.
Featuring only 7 tracks and a full playing time of 31:43 minutes "Emanation From Below" is a short but effective release. In this case quality is prefered over quantity though, and Deivos understand how to make full use of the relatively short playing time, and there´s not a wasted second on the album. This is relentlessly brutal and hard edged. The instrumental part of the music is pretty impressive at times, while the predominatly unintelligible growling vocals are standard for the genre, and don´t bring that extra to the music, which a more unique vocal approach could have done.
"Emanation From Below" features a powerful, clear, and detailed sound production, which suits the material perfectly. The sound really helps enhance the power and brutality of the music, and considering that "Emanation From Below" is a debut release, Deivos have been really lucky to find a producer/engineer skilled enough to create such a powerful environment for their music to shine. Brutal technical death metal releases can sometimes be hit and miss affairs, but this one is definitely a hit. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.