Hailing from Grande Prairie, Canada, Devolver’s particular brand of metal can be described as “Gothenburg worship meets NWOAHM”. Formed by guitarist Devin Babcock and drummer/producer Bevin Booth, and later rounded out by guitarist Jayde Penner, vocalist Chris Brown, and bassist Jaylen Elias, Devolver blends groovy metalcore and melodic death metal, creating a unique sound that appeals to fans of modern metal genres while embracing their old school influences, wearing them on their sleeve. With their heavy-hitting new album in tow, and fueled by a passion that can only be understood by seeing their unbridled live performance, they are ready to make waves in Canadian and international metal scenes alike. The first look at their forthcoming album is the single “Jewels of the Maw” produced by Mark Lewis (The Black Dahlia Murder, Deicide, Devildriver, Whitechapel). The track was also heavily inspired by the novel Bluebeard by Kurt Vonnegut.
The band gives some insight into the song:
“Musically, it comes in very hot with a scream and straight into an upbeat riff. As we move into the next section it picks up with the verse, which brings up memories of old In Flames. This single will eventually be on the album we recorded with Mark Lewis. He really motivated us to push the envelope and make a really strong body of work. This song is us making the music that WE want to hear, built on the foundation of all our influences that made us want to do this in the first place.”
Devolver’s lyrics come from many different places. Much of it comes across as calamitous and devastating. The novel this song takes inspiration from covers topics of the creation and value of art, what art means to us, striving to be the most honest version of yourself, and tying into themes of desperation, survival, and genocide.
According to the band, this single is going to turn some heads and call back to late 90's/ 00's melodic death metal and metalcore, while looking forward with a razor-sharp sound. They hope people will find it to be a breath of fresh air, that still reminds them of their favourite bands. It is recommended for fans of In Flames, At The Gates, and Soilwork.