Of the legions of death metal bands that sprang up briefly during the genre’s 90s heyday and then disappeared into a cryogenic Cthulhu-like slumber just as quickly, Texas’ Divine Eve could’ve been a contender. The band’s sound was pure doomed death metal bludgeon, like Hellhammer squaring off with Entombed in a bloody and bare-knuckled battle royale. Unfortunately, the group imploded after releasing only two demos and an EP on Nuclear Blast, seemingly to forever be remembered as one of those cult bands that never fully realized their wealth of potential.
But just as true death metal has begun to re-assert itself as the dominant genre in extreme music, so to has Divine Eve unleashed Vengeful and Obstinate after 15 years of dormany, another brief yet highly effective slab of Hellhammer-ed death metal that is a great first step towards a return from the bowels of obscurity.
What is great about Divine Eve is the fact that they have seemingly picked up right where they left off, changing little if at all since their early days. From the sludgy, filth-laden riffing to the piercing, fuzzed out leads, the four tracks on Vengeful and Obstinate could have just as easily been recorded back in 1994, and this is no bad thing. By refusing to cave to current bullshit metal trends and digging in their heels, Divine Eve prove that real death metal is truly timeless. This is why the genre has continued to survive for decades, even as various bands have come and gone.
Divine Eve is a band that could have gone places had they stuck around the first time, and hopefully Vengeful and Obstinate is only the opening salvo of a fully rejuvenated career. Their crusty, slow-burning death metal assault is just as enjoyable today, the only real complaint being that at just 17 minutes, the EP leaves you craving more. When will we finally see a full length release?
Also well worth checking out (if you haven’t done so already) is Upon These Ashes Scorn the World, a CD collection of everything ever recorded by Divine Eve prior to Vengeful and Obstinate. The anthology was released by Tarot Productions, the label owned by Absu’s Proscriptor McGovern, and if anything these tracks are even gnarlier than than the EP recordings.
THKD 