CoC : Devastation - Violent Termination : Review

Devastation - _Violent Termination_
(Defiled Records, 1996)
by: Andrew Lewandowski (8 out of 10)

If I heard this during its proper historical epoch - i.e. 1987, when this was first released on vinyl - I would applaud this as being highly original, and possibly one of my favorite albums. Now, in 1996, this CD reissue is a bit of an anachronism, although the music is strong enough to remain somewhat fresh, and is still definitely a worthy listen. Devastation conjure up images of good ol' mid-80s deathrash; they have a sense of melody that few, if any, current death bands are capable of matching, while retaining enough brutality to match such classic bands as Kreator and Death. The music is technically competent - more so than many of their peers, as a matter of fact - and the production is relatively raw, but up to par with other similar bands. The four additional live tracks at the end of this album prove that Devastation once had quite an intense live experience, and culminate a stunning release. Defiled deserves kudos for finally releasing this one on CD.

(article published 11/10/1996)