The Devil and the sea-Heart and spine

2008
Acerbic Noise Development

Acerbic Noise Development seems to be quickly developing into one of the top labels for cranking out consistently good and oftentimes unique acts. Louisiana’s The Devil and the sea fall into that mold on this their debut album. Playing basic rhythms without being overly repetitious or dull is a feat for any band, but these guys seem to be rooted in that style and they come fairly close to perfecting it. They know when play fuzzy, slow as can be riffs and they know exactly when to kick it up a notch and change gears. The sound is primarily stoner rock mixed with doom metal yet this band lean away from the typical “just sound like Sabbath” approach that too many bands stick to. Instead they have elements that also remind me of Sleep,YOB and others plus they bring some of their own ideas to each and every track here. The vocals alternate between growls, screams and other styles that fall in between those two categories. What I like most about this album is that the band does not in anyway feel obligated to do something just because that’s how everyone else in this style does things. This style allows them to erupt at different stages of songs, start the vocals well into a song and start a song way differently than you would expect. They are in control and they know it and this allows them to lead us around, but we are glad for this journey because it’s a trip then we have not all taken before. The Devil and the sea have found a method of delivering music that manages to be both comfortable and alarming and then go back and forth between the two. A very interesting release from these newcomers.

http://www.myspace.com/devilandthesea