Deviant - Burn Me Alive
by James

The Dallas-based four-piece onslaught known as Deviant brings a sound that is just about as pure as metal gets. That distinction has both positive and negative connotations. On the plus side, there simply aren't that many bands around here playing undiluted metal, anymore. On the down side, the reason for that is the genre has been pretty well explored over the last twenty years. All things being equal, the absence of hardcore and various extreme metal influences in the music makes Deviant's new full length a fitting reminder of what made metal so awesome to begin with. The wailing riffage and cacophonous skinwork these guys lay down is nothing short of exemplary from start to finish. There is not a single throwaway guitar lick or drum beat to be found on this entire album, which is also a nice change from the cookie cutter euro-thrash crap every band on the planet is addicted to, lately. The vocal style on display is interesting to say the least. It isn't really low enough to say he is going for death metal growls but it is most definitely in that neighborhood. Being a huge fan of The Gathering-style Testament, the deeper vocals were a good fit with me and keep Deviant from sounding any more old school than they really are. Still, old school is what they are and they celebrate it with every screaming solo they play. Not only that, they further emphasize that status with a spot on cover of Iron Maiden's classic song, Trooper, which is almost worth the price of admission, all by itself, even if it is a "hidden track". A lot of bands in this area fly the metal banner, but few others have the pedigree to do so that Deviant has. Pure and simple, this is as metal as it gets.