Artist: Devil Moon
Country: Finland
Label: Signal Rex
Formats: LP / Cassette tape / CD
Year: 2023
A sleazy rocking mix of Heavy Metal and Black Metal is what Devil Moon served us on their eponymous first EP. Now they come back with the promising title ‘Fucked by the Devil’, their debut full-length album. When I say full-length album it is probably more apt to call it an EP and a half, since three of the songs that appear on ‘Fucked by the Devil’ are taken straight from the ‘Devil Moon’ EP. I don’t think these have been re-recorded, so for my opinion on ‘S.D.Y.G.’, ‘Wig-Splitter’ and ‘Devil Moon’ please go ahead and read the review of the EP. That leaves us with five new tracks and an outro.
We start off with a song about Peter Kürten, a German serial killer nicknamed the Vampire of Düsseldorf that killed 9 people (although he claims the death toll is as much as 80) and was sentenced to death by the guillotine in 1931. A lovely fellow I’m sure. ‘Resurrection of Peter Kürten’ has a thick 70’s vibe, adding a dash of more occult Rock like for instance The Devil’s Blood to the blackened Heavy Metal of Devil Moon. The catchy simple melody upon the rocking base, delightful change of pace and the snarling shrieks make this a little different than the formula on the EP but a very welcome member of the Devil Moon music family. ‘Graverobber’s Hymn’ continues in a much groovier vein with a solid dose of Hardrock, great simple solos, ridiculously catchy melodies and a nice rumbling bass. Things are switched up a little bit more in ‘Spike the Dyke’, a spookier Halloween version of the band’s sound that’s a bit more repetitive in nature while on ‘Black Tomb Necrofungus’ the band leans the strongest towards their Black Metal roots, opting for a more traditional and less rocking track that perhaps lacks a little bit of the Devil Moon magic. But that magic is back on full display in the fantastic title track, which from the get-go drum roll bursts into a catchy melody with simple bass line, a harmony that continues to sing through the song as it slowly evolves into some sort of solo. With the typical groove and snarling vocals, Devil Moon goes all in here, presenting their best track to date that fits seamlessly in line with both the other new songs, and with the aforementioned tracks off the EP that follow next on ‘Fucked by the Devil’.
Ending the album with the short ritual ‘Death Spirit’, ‘Fucked by the Devil’ has taken us through 21 minutes of sleazy Blackened Heavy Metal devil worship that due to the catchy nature and short length more than justifies the search for the replay button or another flip of the vinyl. What is next for the band unfortunately is unclear. As of now, drummer Mutant Ishii is the only remaining band member since Lord Warmoon has decided to quit his musical endeavors to focus on visual arts. But at least we can look forward to the imminent physical release of ‘Fucked by the Devil’ on LP, Cassette tape and CD, thanks to Signal Rex.
