ALBUM REVIEW: Divide And Devour – Destroyed In Seconds

There is nothing remotely adventurous, experimental or avant-garde about DESTROYED IN SECONDS, at least on their latest Molotov cocktail entitled Divide And Devour. As should be expected, the listener is assaulted by a relentless attack of d-beating drums, crusty guitars and yelled vocals, whose bloodline can be traced directly back to DISCHARGE, ANTI CIMEX and SACRILEGE. A more modern reference point could be DISFEAR, another band to successfully meld that old-fashioned anger with the famous Swedish death metal guitar tone and modern production standards. Moreover, the vocals are not too far removed from Tomas Lindberg’s ubiquitous roar, constituting the only element really preventing this from completely crossing the line into total DISMEMBER or UNLEASHED territory.

Only their third album since forming in Los Angeles in 2008 (following Critical Failure that same year and the brutal Becoming Wrath in 2013), this is a band that clearly has no intention of rushing things, at least with regards to studio output. The old-school credentials of DESTROYED IN SECONDS were beyond question right from the outset, as the group features original members of PHOBIA, MANGE and EAT THE LIVING. However, contrary to any expectations generated by their parent bands, this project eschews any grindcore or overt death metal elements and settles instead into the steady rhythm pioneered by the aforementioned bunch of snotty British and Swedish teenagers back in the early 80s.

Undoubtedly thanks also to the pedigree and experience shared by the band members, Divide And Devour never once becomes stale, repetitive or boring. Flashy solos and melodies, punishing breakdowns that demand snapped necks, a perfectly audible and solid bass rumbling along under the familiar but still somehow original riffs, furious gang shouts that rival the lead vocals and rants against the extreme right, the police state, authoritarianism and other social ills keep the listener permanently on their toes.

And that’s just the first song.

Kicking off with the title track and dusting off 11 songs in under half an hour, there is little mercy to be found here. Third bullet The Badge starts with a more melancholic-sounding guitar line, while elsewhere the neo-crust influence of bands such as TRAGEDY can be heard albeit without monopolising the sound at any time. In fact, DESTROYED IN SECONDS here manage to skilfully combine and alternate emotion and fury, no easy feat to get right. This trait immediately sets this album apart from its predecessor, which offered even less in the way of variety and settled for a much more linear assault.

Disarm in particular stands out as a no-nonsense, crusty thrasher, while American Carnage follows with a gradual, bass-led build-up that nicely breaks up the flow around the middle of the record. However, as befits a 2:30-minute belter, the brief respite is soon over. Some extremely juicy double-bass drumming makes an appearance in World War When accompanied by a meandering guitar line that seems somewhat out of place, all of which adds to the variety. Elsewhere, HELLSHOCK-styled leads whine along to the pounding backdrop. By the time closer Sulfur comes around, the listener is just about ready for another short break, before once again kicking back up after just one minute to a total Swe-death mash-up that will undoubtedly unleash mayhem in the pit.

Direct, brief, deceptively nuanced and catchy, Divide and Devour by LA d-beat/thrash maniacs DESTROYED IN SECONDS kicks in faces and points accusing fingers while eliciting huge grins all round. Highly refreshing and therapeutic in these ugly times.

Rating: 8/10

Divide and Devour is set for release on April 24th via self release. 

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