ALBUM REVIEW: Vidékek Vannak Idebenn – The Devil’s Trade

Following up the haunting dark folk of 2020’s The Call Of The Iron Peak was never going to an easy task for THE DEVIL’S TRADE, the sublime project from Hungarian singer/songwriter Dávid Makó. But with new album Vidékek Vannak Idebenn, a title that translates as ‘There Are Landscapes Within’, the haunting nature of his music is combined with a solemn beauty that is so powerful and the results are simply breathtaking, with the music coming on in constant waves of sonic power but also augmented by a dignified and refined quiet that makes it all the more powerful.

THE DEVIL’S TRADE makes music that is so supremely heavy on atmosphere and Makó puts his heart and soul into proceedings on Vidékek Vannak Idebenn as he does everything on the album himself, with only the aid of former bandmate Gáspár Binder on drums to bolster the sound. The mood setting opening number Felkelék Én makes way for the majestic Flashing Through The Lack Of Light, which is an epic song that simply crushes with waves of emotion and sounds so powerful.

The emotional power of every track on this album shines through in a way that sounds so genuine and the mixture of vocals that are sung in both Hungarian and English seems to give it an even more powerful vibe as well. Songs like Clear Like The Wind and Liminal are emotionally cleansing with those powerful vocals acting as the centrepiece of epic and purifying soundscapes, while the more sparse likes of All Kings Must Fall add a different but no less powerful dimension to proceedings.

In the years following The Call Of The Iron Peak we have seen the return of live music, and during that time THE DEVIL’S TRADE has conquered Roadburn Festival and beyond with recordings of The Call Of The Iron Peak and a collaborative effort with industrial behemoth John Cxnnor from that festival being must-listen live documents, and the air of anticipation of that material seeps out of this new material too. The songs on Vidékek Vannak Idebenn will simply destroy hearts, souls and minds in a live arena, such is their sheer emotional power.

As the album ends with the atmospheric Új Hajnal Már Nem Jő, it feels like a journey ending with a darkness coming into the light and you can’t help but feel inspired and healed by what you have just experienced. Vidékek Vannak Idebenn is an album that is full of heart, soul, healing power and an inspiring darkness and it is delivered with so much passion and catharsis that it makes for a captivating listening experience from start to finish. Added to the fact that it is heart wrenching but inspiring all the way through, and you have all the right ingredients for an album that will totally consume you with its beauty and its power.

Rating: 9/10

Vidékek Vannak Idebenn is set for release on July 14th via Season Of Mist.

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