Vicery – Devolution

Band: Vicery
Title: Devolution
Label: Narcoleptica Productions
Release Date: 10 August 2018
Country: Serbia
Format reviewed: Digital MP3

Nothing pleases me more than to discover heavy music from new bands. I’ll forever be advocate for searching and seeking out the next thing, the new buzz – I just cannot miss out – it’s how I went about it in the 80’and 90’s, always looking for more – exploring, discovering with an insatiable unrelenting, never satisfied drive! So, running through my Bandcamp feed last month, I spotted some wicked album artwork from Vicery. From Belgrade, Serbia! I’d never heard of them, of course. Without hesitation, my internal inquisitiveness kicked in and I immediately took a listen. Now, the second best thing about discovering a new band is when it unexpectedly blows your head off! Vicery = Mission accomplished.

Vicery are extremely new. Like 2016 formation new. Featuring two members – vocalist Ivana Momčilović and all instruments/programming partner Elio Rigonat. Elio is also vocalist/guitarist in Serbian Thrash metallers Kobold and his own MDM solo project. Vicery are also very young – Elio 23 and Ivana just turning 19! Yet, listening to ‘Devolution’ you would think they had years of experience and wisdom behind them. Hell, Ivana was 16 when she formed Vicery – but reading some of her lyrics re the ills of society, drugs and politics, I wonder how she became so angry and pissed off so early in her life? Vicery is clearly her baby for self-expression!

The music? Well, prepare for a little experimentation here folks. At the core, Vicery works from a Death Metal perspective, but the band is at pains to add depth and colour to its sound, so throughout this 10 track affair you will find a mix of contemporary Metal, electronica, dark industrial and Groove metal riff elements. Add to this some interesting splashes of weird alternate guitar tunings/squeals, tribal beats and traditional/exotic instruments such as the Digeridoo (Love the Aussie connection!). Obviously not your typical Death Metal fare. However, Vicery have been able to mesh things together to present what is not only a super heavy sound, but one that is also very rhythmical and catchy in nature. The band even push themselves to highly melodic territory with an awesome 4 minute instrumental at track 7 called ‘Euthanasia’ – superbly constructed around a jangly intro, swirling synth effects and chugging metal riff, I dare anyone to resist its slippery
clutches! Backed with a crushingly brutal production ‘Devolution’ is diverse, vivid and interesting!

Then there is Ivana! There are a heap of talented female vocalists involved in this style of music, but have we ever heard someone as intense as this? Perhaps not. Ivana’s immensely volcanic roar and threatening bluster will help convince you of that. Deliberately lowered in the back of the albums mix, Ivana is nonetheless, the glue that pulls Vicery’s compositions together. Sure there’s hardly any variation to her abrasive guttural style, but as far as conviction, attitude and energy is concerned, Ivana delivers on all fronts. Alluding to my earlier comments, it’s her scathing lyrical prose that adds even more weight to the bands arrangements. Tackling socially aware topics such as Police brutality (Enforcer), Ravages of war (TSAR #1), Drug addiction (Golden Bullet/Vicery) and Religious indoctrination (The Cult), Ivana clearly has something to say and presents herself with wisdom beyond her years. How does that happen to a 19 year old girl? We will need ask!

I’ve had ‘Devolution’ on repeated rotation for the past month since its release date. Despite its somewhat restrictive Death Metal template there is something uniquely different about its atmosphere and presentation. And the song writing is very strong – Elio and Ivana have really
stretched themselves in attempting to mesh numerous metal styles into something that is cohesive and intellectually stimulating. Sure, there are a couple of wobbly moments where some ideas needed further development, but as a debut album ‘Devolution’ stacks up as one of the best and most surprising releases of 2018. Vicery – very much a band to keep an eye on! 8/10 KMaN

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