Devourment

Devourment is an American death metal band from Dallas, Texas. Formed in 1995, the band has split up and reformed three times leaving Brad Fincher as the only original member. The current lineup is Ruben Rosas, Chris Andrews, Dave Spencer and Brad Fincher. The band is currently signed to Relapse Records, and was previously signed to Brutal Bands, United Guttural and Corpse Gristle Records. Devourment has also had albums re-released by other labels.

Devourment
Devourment in 2016.
From left to right: Ruben Rosas, Brad Fincher, Dave Spencer, Chris Andrews.
Background information
OriginDallas, Texas, US[1]
GenresDeath metal[2]
Years active1995–1999, 2001, 2002, 2005–present
LabelsRelapse, United Guttural, Corpse Gristle, Brutal Bands
Associated actsMeshiha
Websitewww.devourmentforum.com
MembersBrad Fincher
Ruben Rosas
Dave Spencer
Chris Andrews

Since the band's foundation, Devourment released a demo, Impaled, and an album, Molesting the Decapitated, before disbanding due to the jailing of vocalist Ruben Rosas. There was a brief reformation of the band during his incarceration, which saw the initial release of the compilation album 1.3.8., and a brief reformation upon his release in 2002. The band reformed for a third time in 2005, and has since released two reissues of 1.3.8., two DVDs, and four full-length albums: Butcher the Weak, Unleash the Carnivore, Conceived in Sewage and Obscene Majesty.

Devourment is notable for being one of the biggest forefront bands in the "slam death metal" genre of death metal.[3]

History

Formation and early history (1995–1999)

Devourment was formed in 1995 following the breakup of Dallas death metal band Necrocide.[4] Necrocide's drummer, Brad Fincher, and guitarist, Braxton Henry, met up with former Meatus vocalist Wayne Knupp to play brutal death metal.[4] However, the newly formed band achieved little—Knupp moved back to his hometown of Chicago, and Fincher moved to San Antonio for educational reasons. Months later, when the two of them had moved back to Dallas, Henry had formed his own band—Dead Industry. Knupp got in contact with someone he had known years earlier, Brian "Brain" Wynn, and they reformed the band.[2][4] This lineup is often cited as the "original".[2][5] The band then developed its first promo, featuring two songs, "Shroud of Encryption" and "Festering Vomitous Mass",[4] which was produced by former and future guitarist Braxton Henry.[5]

Over the next few months, Kevin Clark (formerly of Sintury) joined the band as a secondary guitarist, and Mike Majewski joined on bass.[4] Majewski had previously worked publicizing the band and providing artwork. He had first seen Devourment when the band's only song was "Shroud of Encryption".[6] The band recorded "Choking on Bile" which they added to their original demo. This was released in 1997 by Corpse Gristle Records under the name of Impaled. Knupp later left the band "due to some internal problems".[4] He was replaced by Ruben Rosas, who played guitars and provided vocals in a local band called Detrimental.

Molesting the Decapitated (1999–2002)

In 1999, Devourment signed a record deal with United Guttural and started developing its first album, Molesting the Decapitated, again produced by Braxton.[4] The album was released later that year.[5] Reviews were positive, with Blas, of Global Domination, who praised the album for being so brutal, claiming that "if you look up the word 'Brutal' in the dictionary right now, you'd see Devourment's logo right next to the definition".[7] He praised the vocals, but said that the drums, in places, let the album down due to them being too fast.[7] Dan Staige, of Metal Review, said that the instruments were "remarkably balanced and crisp", and his only criticism was that the "ultra heavy breakdowns" "may sound a little monotonous", but that "you will still bang your head".[8]

The band had a release show for the album in Colorado. Although Majewski claimed that this was in 1998,[1] the album was apparently released in 1999, so he was probably mistaken.[4][5] This show was alongside Macabre and Cephalic Carnage, among others.[4] Shortly afterwards, Rosas was arrested and jailed for two and a half years, meaning the members of the band went their separate ways.[1] Rosas's arrest was described by Majewski as the "last straw",[1][6] as the band was becoming more and more business-like, with Wynn and his wife arranging concerts without consulting the rest of the band.[6]

Devourment reformed during Rosas's incarceration, with Knupp taking Rosas's place on vocals, and Braxton Henry rejoining the band in the place of Brian Wynn. The band recorded a single song, named "Babykiller", which was featured on a compilation album named Southern Uprising.[4] The song was also featured on the band's own compilation album, 1.3.8., the title of which represents the one song, "Babykiller", with the three songs from Impaled, and the eight songs from Molesting the Decapitated.[8][9] The compilation was released four times—once on Corpse Gristle Records while Rosas was in jail,[9] once on Unmatched Brutality in 2004,[10] once after Rosas's release while the band was working on new material, including the band's first DVD, on Displeased Records,[11] and finally as a limited edition record by the label Night of the Vinyl Dead.[12] Upon Rosas's release in 2002, he reformed the band with new members, featuring himself on vocals, guitarists Robert Moore and Kevin Clark, Jeremy Peterson on drums and Joseph Fontenot (later of Jacknife) on bass.[2] Clark was then replaced by Chris Hutto of Ingurgitate.[2] Rosas's new lineup played a few shows, but then split up again.[4] Majewski later referred to the time between the band's two full-length albums, explaining that "Ruben and I both made attempts to get the band going again but both failed".[1]

Butcher the Weak and Knupp's death (2005–2007)

A few years later, Knupp, Rosas, and Majewski finally properly reformed Devourment.[6] Eric Park, formerly of Suture, filled out the lineup which would record the second Devourment album.[4] The band entered the studio in August 2005 to begin recording Butcher the Weak, and the completed album was released in November 2005.[4] For this album, Majewski performed vocals, Rosas provided guitars and bass, and Park was on drums.[4][13] According to Josh Thorne of fourteen g, the "production is a lot better" than it was on Molesting the Decapitated, but Majewski explained that both albums had been recorded in the same studio.[1] The album contained artwork by Majewski,[14] who works for a special effects company.[1]

Felix Schoonen of Vampire Magazine said it was odd that the album was self-released by the band, asking, "why should a band like Devourment release their own album... every week countless useless releases are thrown on the market by bands that nobody will ever care for and Devourment is somehow forced to release its own album."[15] In 2005, former Kill the Client drummer Chris Andrews joined the band on bass to round out the lineup for live shows. In 2006, the band signed a two-album deal with label Brutal Bands,[16] and proceeded to re-record and re-release Butcher the Weak.[4] The new release's cover was yellow, while the self-released version sported a green cover, though they bore the same design.[13]

On September 15, 2007, Wayne Knupp died of multiple organ failure due to alcohol abuse.[5] Despite no longer being with Devourment, his links with the band were widely reported, including his guest appearance with Devourment at the Central Illinois Metalfest earlier in the year.[17] Knupp's girlfriend posted a message on his Myspace profile confirming his death and thanking people for their support and messages.[18] In an interview with SMNnews.com, Majewski spoke of the impact of the death on the band, saying,[19]

It had a big impact. He was a founding member and really created the vocal style we are known for. Just felt like part of the band died too. Like when he died, it was just weird to think about doing shows or recording without him around, even if he was no longer in the band. He was a good person and definitely deserves to be remembered.

Since Butcher the Weak, Devourment recorded new material for compilation albums and continued to tour.[4] The band appeared at various festivals,[4] including Central Illinois Metalfest,[20] The Goregrowler's Ball[21] and Germany's Fuck the Commerce.[22] Devourment also released its second DVD in January 2007.[23] In an interview with SMNnews.com in October 2007, Majewski said that the band aimed to complete a third studio album by mid-2008 which saw them performing less in 2008.[19]

Unleash the Carnivore (2009–2010)

Devourment's third full-length studio album, Unleash the Carnivore, was released in 2009 through Brutal Bands. The cover features artwork by acclaimed death metal artists Dan Seagrave and Pär Olofsson. Unleash the Carnivore was followed in 2010 with the "Unleash the Carnivore tour". On July 14, 2010, Devourment announced that the band had signed with Relapse.[24]

Conceived in Sewage (2011–2018)

Devourment began writing new material in 2011, and travelled to St. Petersburg, Florida in June 2012 to record its fourth album.[25] In January 2013, Devourment released a single for the song "Fifty Ton War Machine".[26] The new album, titled Conceived in Sewage, was recorded with Erik Rutan, and was released on February 19, 2013.[27]

The band intended to play a 2013 fall US tour headlined by Dying Fetus and supported by Exhumed, Waking the Cadaver and Abiotic, but dropped off the tour roughly three months in advance.[28] This caused speculation that the band had broken up or would be breaking up due to it being Devourment's second planned line of concert appearances that year that went abandoned.[29] The rumors that the band had broke up were later dispelled by Majewski, with the statement, "Just to squash rumors, Your ol pals Devo are not broken up!"[30]

On May 19, 2014, Devourment announced that Majewski and drummer Eric Park quit the band. Ruben Rosas moved from his position from guitar to vocals while bassist Chris Andrews moved to playing guitar. Brad Fincher (who quit Devourment in 2001) rejoined the band on drums, and Meshiha bass player Dave Spencer joined on bass.[31][32]

Obscene Majesty (2019–present)

Devourment began writing new songs with the revamped line-up in late 2014. They entered the studio in late-2018 to record their fifth full-length album, Obscene Majesty, with Producer D. Braxton Henry. The first single, "Cognitive Sedation Butchery", launched online June 18, 2019. This is their first album in six years and first with Ruben Rosas on vocals and Brad Fincher on drums since Molesting the Decapitated in 1999. The album was released on August 16 through Relapse Records.

Members

Current members

  • Ruben Rosas – vocals (1999–2004, 2014–present), guitars (2005–2013)
  • Brad Fincher – drums (1995–2001, 2014–present)
  • Chris Andrews – guitars (2014–present), bass (2005–2014)
  • Dave Spencer – bass (2014–present)

Former members

  • Wayne Knupp – vocals (1995–1999, 2001)
  • Braxton Henry – guitars (1995–1997, 2001)
  • Brian Wynn – guitars (1997–1999)
  • Kevin Clark – guitars (1997–1999,2002, 2015–2019)
  • Mike Majewski – bass (1997–1999, 2005), vocals (2005–2014)
  • Robert Moore – guitars (2002)
  • Chris Hutto – guitars (2002)
  • Gabriel Ayala – bass (2002)
  • Jeremy Peterson – drums (2002)
  • Eric Park – drums (2005–2014)

Discography

Studio albums
Title Album details
Molesting the Decapitated
  • Released: May 1999 (US)
  • Label: United Guttural Records
  • Formats: CD, digital download
Butcher the Weak
  • Released: November 11, 2005 (US)
  • Label: self-released, Brutal Bands
  • Formats: CD, digital download
Unleash the Carnivore
  • Released: June 26, 2009 (US)
  • Label: Brutal Bands
  • Formats: CD, digital download
Conceived in Sewage
  • Released: February 19, 2013 (US)
  • Label: Relapse Records
  • Formats: CD, digital download
Obscene Majesty
  • Released: August 16, 2019 (US)
  • Label: Relapse Records
  • Formats: CD, digital download

Demos
  • Impaled – Corpse Gristle Records (1997)
  • Promo 1997 (1997)
  • Promo 1999 (1999)

Singles
  • "Kill That Fucking Bitch" (2002)
  • "Fifty Ton War Machine" (2012)

Compilations
  • 1.3.8. – Corpse Gristle Records (2000), Unmatched Brutality (2004), Displeased Records (2004), Night of the Vinyl Dead (2006)

See also
  • Slam death metal
  • Music of Dallas

References
  1. Thorne, Josh (April 16, 2006). "Interview - Mike Majewski - Devourment". fourteen g. Archived from the original on July 20, 2008. Retrieved September 17, 2007.
  2. "Devourment Bassist to Take Over Vocal Duties". Blabbermouth.net. July 9, 2005. Retrieved September 16, 2007.
  3. McAuslan, Rob (February 25, 2013). "Album: Devourment – Conceived In Sewage". Thrash Hits. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
  4. "Official Devourment Biography". Devourment official site. Archived from the original on March 17, 2008. Retrieved September 16, 2007.
  5. Sharpe-Young, Gary (September 16, 2007). "Devourment Biography and Discography". MusicMight. Archived from the original on March 15, 2012. Retrieved December 23, 2011.
  6. Xul, Rabishu. "Interview with Mike Majewski of Devourment". MetalWhore. Retrieved September 16, 2007.
  7. Blas (August 3, 2004). "Devourment: Molesting the Decapitated". Global Domination. Archived from the original on August 14, 2010. Retrieved September 18, 2007.
  8. Staige, Dan. "Review of Devourment - Molesting the Decapitated/138". Metal Review. Archived from the original on June 1, 2012. Retrieved September 18, 2007.
  9. Bogers, Stijn (October 1, 2000). "Devourment (USA) 1.3.8". Vampire Magazine. Archived from the original on April 21, 2007. Retrieved February 9, 2008.
  10. "Devourment - 1.3.8". Cursed Productions. Retrieved February 10, 2008.
  11. Mouwen, Ricardo (October 26, 2004). "Devourment (USA) 1.3.8 (Rerelease)". Vampire Magazine. Archived from the original on April 21, 2007. Retrieved February 9, 2008.
  12. "Devourment: '1.3.8.' Vinyl to Include Demo Cuts, Previously Unreleased Material". Blabbermouth.net. November 11, 2006. Retrieved February 9, 2008.
  13. Teufel. "Brutal Isn't Just a Way of Life... It's Also Stupid!". Teufel's Tomb. Archived from the original on February 13, 2008. Retrieved February 19, 2008.
  14. "Devourment - Butcher the Weak". Metalpedia. February 27, 2006. Archived from the original on February 7, 2008. Retrieved February 9, 2008.
  15. Schoonen, Felix (December 30, 2005). "Devourment (USA) Butcher the Weak". Vampire Magazine. Archived from the original on April 21, 2007. Retrieved February 9, 2008.
  16. Mouwen, Ricardo (May 31, 2006). "Devourment (USA) Signed Deal with Brutal Bands". Vampire Magazine. Archived from the original on April 21, 2007. Retrieved February 9, 2008.
  17. "Original Devourment Vocalist Wayne Knupp Passes Away". Blabbermouth.net. September 15, 2007. Retrieved February 9, 2008.
  18. "Ex-Devourment Vocalist Wayne Knupp Passes Away Due to Multiple Organ Failure". SMNnews.com. September 15, 2007. Archived from the original on August 20, 2012. Retrieved February 9, 2008.
  19. "Interview with Mike Majewski". SMNnews.com. October 22, 2007. Archived from the original on August 20, 2012. Retrieved February 15, 2008.
  20. "Brutal Truth Confirmed for Central Illinois Metalfest". Blabbermouth.net. January 8, 2008. Retrieved February 9, 2008.
  21. "Devourment, Disfigured to Perform at San Antonio's The Goregrowler's Ball". Blabbermouth.net. August 24, 2007. Retrieved February 9, 2008.
  22. "Denial Fiend, Prophecy, Devourment Confirmed for Germany's F*ck the Commerce Festival". Blabbermouth.net. January 19, 2007. Retrieved February 9, 2008.
  23. "Devourment DVD 2 Out in January!". Devourment news. Devourment official site. Archived from the original on January 16, 2008. Retrieved February 9, 2008.
  24. "Devourment's Myspace blog". MySpace. July 14, 2010. Archived from the original on July 26, 2011. Retrieved November 3, 2013.
  25. "Devourment Begins Recording New Album". Blabbermouth.net. June 19, 2012. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
  26. "DEVOURMENT: 'Fifty Ton War Machine' Lyric Video Released". Blabbermouth.net. January 10, 2013. Retrieved November 3, 2013.
  27. "Devourment: New Album Track Listing Revealed". Blabbermouth.net. January 4, 2013. Retrieved June 2, 2013.
  28. "Devourment Drop Off Dying Fetus and Exhumed Fall Tour". MetalSucks. September 26, 2013.
  29. "Have DEVOURMENT Broken Up?". Metal Injection. September 5, 2013.
  30. "Devourment rumors [Archive] - SMNnews Forums". forums.smnnews.com.
  31. "Devourment". www.facebook.com.
  32. Devourment Announce Lineup Reformation + US and South American Tour Dates at the Wayback Machine (archive index). Relapse Records. May 19, 2014. Retrieved on October 11, 2016.

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