Divine Eve
Vengeful And Obstinate
5.4
As the world metal scene continues to pick up steam, more and more defunct bands are dusting off their instruments, squeezing back into their leather vests and rejoining the fray. Sometimes legendary bands reform and produce excellent fresh material (see Suffocation, among others). More often, though, we get releases like Vengeful and Obstinate.
Divine Eve were a short-lived doom/death band based out of Texas who toured a bit between 1992 and 1995, released no LPs, and split up. For reasons that escape me, they’re reformed and gone back to their old tricks—namely, churning out slow, murky DM that draws on the usual influences: Runemagick, Incantation, and Celtic Frost (especially the droning horn on “The Ravages of Heathen Men”). This EP features four tracks of trudging, slimy power chords, raspy growls, and occasional ragged semi-blasts. Yes, you have heard this before. A lot.
I get the impression that people who dig this style will indiscriminately love any release that attempts it, so there’s probably a small market for Divine Eve. As far as I’m concerned, though, Vengeful and Obstinate has nothing to offer but old tricks and middling execution. For insatiable doom/death nerds only.
