A pioneer of occult rock and one of the most respected acts within the genre, The Devil’s Blood caused a legion of fans heartache upon announcing their split at the beginning of this year. Amongst the live albums and compilations that lie in their wake, their incomplete third full length III: Tabula Rasa Or Death And The Seven Pillars has been released as a bittersweet farewell.
The album opens with ‘I Was Promised A Hunt’; an epic 22 minute rock opera. Despite the Dutch duo not knowing they were going to part ways at the time of writing this, it feels almost like a poignant farewell; it is slow paced, with moody, bluesy sounding guitar and Farida’s vocals sound especially emotionally strong.
‘…If Not a Vessel?’ and ‘Tabula Rasa’ are the only two tracks that mirror any of the band’s former Christ or Cocaine swagger and given that ‘Tabula Rasa’ is instrumental, it is clear to see the incompletion of this opus and that makes it eerie as well as saddening; akin to a ghost town where people have just picked up and left in the middle of their daily lives.
There are some of the best riffs that TDB have ever written on this record and Selim’s vocals paired with Farida’s sound incredible. However, the fact that this fails to match up to the energy of previous releases is disappointing and considering that this will be the last we hear from the godfathers of Satan worshipping grooves this is rather unsatisfying. This record is more of a heart wrenching, tearful abandonment than a triumphant farewell.
6/10
Angela Davey