Review by Detroit Jason Kenski
Listenable Record’s Devastator, who hail from Derby, Derbyshire, UK’s (there are MULTIPLE other bands called Devastator, so beware) are back with their 2nd full length(3rd if you include their 2019 live bootleg, DARKNESS IN DERBY- LIVE IN DERBY 2017-2019), CONJURERS OF CRUELTY. And what an album this is. As soon as you hear the church bells and the rain on opener, “Beyond The Gate”, you know you are in for one hell of a ride. One that NEVER lets up.
Honestly, there is NOT a bad track on this album. From the opener “Beyond The Gate” to album closer “Rabid Morbid Death”(although the version I heard had 2 bonus tracks, “Liar In Wait” and “Death Forever”, neither of which disappoint), it is non-stopped black/thrash intensity. This album has everything you could ask for. Acoustic flamenco guitar parts? “Ritual Abuse(Evil Never Dies)” has them. D-beat drumming? “Walpurgisnact” has it. Skull-ripping riffs and double-bass drums? Well, that is a majority of the album.
So many standout tracks on here, but track #3 “Black Witchery”, track #4 “Ritual Abuse(Evil Never Dies), track #5 “Walpurgisnact”, and track # 10 “”Rabid Morbid Death” and both bonus tracks “Liar In Wait” and “Death Forever” are my favorites after MULTIPLE listens. If you are a fan of Watain and Aura Noir, you’ll love this black/thrash masterpiece.