Review: A Fragile Hope by Devil Sold His Soul

Artist: Devil Sold His Soul
Title: A Fragile Hope
Release Date: August 5, 2008

One of the more unique aspects of the metal genre is all of the subgenres therein. It never stops with just "metal." There's Black Metal, Death Metal, Power Metal, and of the myriad "-core's." It's also interesting to see the lines that sometimes get drawn in the sand between fans of the different genres, and it's not often you see many arms reaching across the aisles.

But sometimes, a band comes along and creates a sound that infuses all of the right elements at all of the right times while breaking boundaries and blurring lines and turns out something so unique and powerful that it will send chills up the spine of the most rabid of Anathema and Opeth's fans as it will devotees of Converge and Mouth of the Architect.

Devil Sold His Soul have done just that.

"A Fragile Hope" is a thick, heady, epic exercise in thoughtful ferocity that incites rage inasmuch as it tugs at our softer nature. At times, the sound can be harsh enough to start one's head banging in a frenzy, while at others it maintains its expressiveness without venturing too far into "emo" territory.

The dry-lung screams wrap themselves around a barrage of crashing guitars and thudding basslines while higher-end (but not too high....Iced Earth fans, I'm talking to you) clean vocal and softer guitar interludes move in and out amongst the organized chaos. The interplay of the two styles is so in-tune with the music and the emotions expressed that it's almost "too good."

"The Starting" is the album's most popular track (they have a video available for it, anyway) and perfectly encapsulates DSHS's overall sound, while "At The End of the Tunnel" probably has the sharpest teeth.

But the high point of the album is "Dawn of the First Day," a groovy, emotionally-charged, crushing song that basically eludes every adjective in my vocabulary. Let us just say that the song is best enjoyed at a volume just below "bleeding ears."

"A Fragile Hope" is an amazing album, and even as I listen to it now, I find myself wondering how I even managed to put into words my adulation of this achievement when I could have summed it all up in one word:

Incredible.

Country: United Kingdom

Label: Eyes of Sound Records

URL: www.myspace.com/devilsoldhissoul