ALBUM REVIEW: Nurture – Deviant Process

Canadian lads DEVIANT PROCESS are apparently a metal band. But having heard Nurture, their second full-length and first for Season Of Mist, we’d like to put forward an alternative theory; they’re actually jazz musicians who got bitten by a rabid CANNIBAL CORPSE fan when the moon was full. Now, destined to transform into patch-jacketed headbangers whenever the sun goes down, they’ve embraced the curse and are content to crank out high-quality tech-death until it wears off and they’re allowed back in the cool clubs again. This idea might seem flimsy, but it definitely stands up to scrutiny and there’s no need for anyone to investigate further. We will not be accepting questions.

Nurture is 47 minutes of highly elaborate metal, clearly in debt to the likes of CYNIC, ALLEGAEON and MESHUGGAH. Their musical proficiency is the biggest selling point; these are unconventional and wildly complex songs, played by guys who’ve practiced past the point where their fingers bleed. There are unexpected bursts of prog, off-kilter drums and riffs so sharp they could cut diamonds, all played with a degree of skill that is frankly astonishing. Nurture is a real muso’s album and any PHD students looking for a record they can write a dissertation on would do well to check it out.

This does however have one unfortunate drawback; it can feel very cold and robotic. It’s beautifully executed, but also akin to solving a headache-inducing maths problem. It’s certainly impressive but forming any kind of deeper attachment to the likes of Emergence or Syrtis Magna is an uphill battle. The vocals of frontman Jean-Daniel Villeneuve don’t help matters either; his bark is commanding enough but it’s one-note and gets monotonous after a while.

That being said, Nurture has plenty to recommend. In Worship, In Blood is a remarkable introductory track and worth the price of admission alone. The Hammer Of Dogma is pure cybernetic efficiency, while The Blessings Of Annihilation Infinite is a huge slice of progressive death that would get Jens Kidman looking on in admiration. There are enough ideas crammed into its seven-and-a-half-minute runtime to fill entire albums, and some of the guitar solos are borderline inhuman. Drummer Michel Bélanger deserves to be singled out for his remarkable performance too, his work is never less than top notch.

It’s a terrible loss to the jazz clubs of the world but DEVIANT PROCESS have it in them to be heroes of tech-death. Nurture might feel like it was written and performed by robots, but it is a remarkably well-executed piece of work that will invoke chin-stroking and headbanging in equal measure. This won’t be for everyone, but it may prove to be one of the year’s sleeper hits.

Rating: 7/10

Nurture is set for release on October 15th via Season Of Mist.

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