Chuck Shuldiner’s statement “Let the Metal Flow” outstandingly describes the world of metal. It’s a genre which knows no limits, always pushing forward; challenging the music boundaries, proving that metal is a genre where nothing is set in stone, where every combination is possible. The new album from Zeal and Ardor, a project started by a guy from Switzerland, Manuel Gagneux, is a perfect example of sheer divergence only to be found in rock and metal. Combining spirituals, (“generally Christian songs that were created by African slaves in the United States. Spirituals were originally an oral tradition that imparted Christian values while also describing the hardships of slavery.”) with black metal, Manuel brings something completely new to the world of music, a combination working incredibly well, staying on the fringe, laughing in the face of genre definitions, and showing that, if you have enough creativity, it is possible to make music which is never heard before.
Devil Is Fine is all about inovation, exploring what the spirituals might sound like, if slaves decided to reject Christianity, which was forcefully brought to them, and turn to the left-handed path, embracing the Dark Lord. Album opener, Devil is Fine, will give you a hint of what to expect; it sounds like someone found an old recording of one spiritual song, made it fresh and modern and recorded the process. But, if you listen more carefully, satanic lyrics aren’t something that can be found in spirituals. Manuel did all the singing, and I have to salute him because recording sounds like something sang on the fields hundreds of years ago. Combining the slave music with tremolo riffs, blast beats, and hellish shrieks give us a new type of black metal, something that hasn’t been made before, a proper avant-garde, a breath of fresh air in a genre where any revolution is seen as sacrilegious.
Black metal parts are pretty rudimentary, but the bigger picture sounds marvelous. Devil is Fine is a definition of rebellion; rebellion against metal boundaries, against Christianity, against our perception of what is allowed to be mixed. There’s also a remix of the call to prayer by a Muslim Imam, and it sounds incredible. The only problem being that if some radicals hear this, they could easily mark Manuel for death with a fatwa, calling all believers to do you know what.
Devil is Fine is the most original piece of art I had the opportunity of experiencing in a long time; it sounds so fresh, so unique, and so awesome. Be sure to check it out.
