Album Review: Elder Devil - Everything Worth Loving
Reviewed by Liam True
Grindcore is a very picky genre. You either love it or detest it. I mean it’s called extreme metal for a reason. It’s dizzying and nauseous in every sense from the lyrical content to the production. Elder Devil delivers a punch to the gut on Everything Worth Loving that takes everything you know in grindcore and adds elements from industrial to create something that not many bands could pull off.
From the moment Endless Need kicks off you know what you’re in for. A dazzling album that lasts just over half an hour, a thing grindcore is known for. Punchy short songs that are straight to the point. The vocals from Stephen Muir are evil and on times comparable to Mike Patton’s punk stylings. Behind Muir is the crunchy feedback laden strings of guitarist Jacob Lee who unleashes a fury of incomprehensible riffs and solos. While the bass of Ryan Urquidez adds a layer of abrasive noise to the pot. Drummer Peter Ruacho is impeccable and even shines through on My Body Is An Earthen Shrine as he switches from a slower start to the blast beat and machine gun drumming throughout the record.
Although it’s only their second album they sound like they’ve been doing it for years. Tight and precise only every note and blast beat. Lyrically the album is an amalgamation of topics but when writing the lyrics Muir mainly pulls from his personal life and anything on his mind to create a more down to earth grindcore album. Stripping away from the normal topics such as politics and the environmental impact of humans, Everything Worth Loving is personal and from the heart of Muir. While the instrumentals are aggressive the lyrics are beautiful and heart felt. Muirs voice adds an impact to them with his delivery which is explosive.
A violent, gritty and stomach churningly despicable album in the best possible way. A must listen for any fan of extreme metal.
