ALBUM REVIEW: Sense Of – DevilsBridge

Hailing from Switzerland come DEVILSBRIDGE with their debut full-length Sense Of. This album comes after the band have already put out several singles and their debut EP Endless Restless. Many of us know that the intensity of jumping from an EP to a full-length album can be an intimidating one, so in order to make the jump the band decided to up the ante on their production. Did it pay off? Absolutely.

Starting out with the obviously named Intro we begin with a collection of distorted sounds that are gradually joined by a haunting melody of guitars which grow louder and louder as we await the climax. Suddenly we hear a male voiceover which introduces us to the record and then all hell breaks loose with Illusion. We are immediately hit with heavy guitars and fast-paced drums before we are graced with the presence of wicked sounding vocals. Now when we say wicked we don’t just mean good but given the snarling and cackling we hear we can also liken it to a rockstar witch. Which, you know, is pretty badass. It’s like if Amy Lee, Mari Brink and Lzzy Hale were all in one person.

Another distinctive feature of the record is its mash-up of sounds between modern rock, early 2000s nu-metal and grunge. In one example Reality opens sounding reminiscent of LINKIN PARK, before dramatically shifting to a style similar to that of LACUNA COIL. It’s that perfect blend of nostalgia and modern day. Space also recreates that nostalgia with a moody vibe where you can easily imagine a highly energetic and interactive live show.

It’s not all fast-paced though. Life makes its entrance with piano and classical style vocals similar to that of EPICA before the obligatory switch to guitar riffs that one can picture being used in an action scene of a film like Resident Evil or Underworld. Pain remains a dramatic ballad with haunting vocals, a seven-minute-long track that not once makes you feel bored or that it drags – simply beautiful. Concluding track Time returns to the aggressive, snarling vocals we were introduced to at the start before switching to clean. The distorted voice also makes a return as they conclude the album, but it doesn’t end there. At first you wonder if whether they should have stopped it at that moment before you completely take back your words once you hear those vocals.

An incredibly entertaining album, Sense Of is that perfect blend of nostalgic and modern rock and the variation of styles between melodic rock to nu-metal to grunge works well. This is a record that will constantly surprise you and have you headbanging in ways you’d never expect.

Rating: 8/10

Sense Of is out now via Fastball Music.

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