The Devastated

Formed from pieces of Impending Doom and Oblige, Riverside, CA outfit the Devastated shift their focus to kick-heavy, downtuned deathcore with plenty of groove. "Roof Top Party Drop" and "Spit Vitriol" sound particularly massive; their punishing breakdowns would see half the floor attempting to kill, with the other half unable to do anything but nod their heads to the simultaneous groove. Up-and-coming producer Chris Eck has put the clamps on this one; his clean, super-punchy low ends, mixed by Lambesis Studio's Daniel Castleman, make the band sound like they can destroy. Much like Of Legends did on their recent release, the Devastated prove that killer grooves and a simpler rhythmic approach can be far more effective than overbearing technicality in reaching the upper end of the hardness scale. And if they're the messengers, the big red guy with the horns must be one mean son of a bitch.