CD Review

Divinity Destroyed – “Eden in Ashes”

By Marcus Pan

This one is a real tough call. One the one hand, Divinity Destroyed has immense talent, but on the other they have yet to gel said talent into something cohesive, concrete and complete. There are lots of shining ideas this band tinkers with and yet these ideas could use an even better artisan’s polish to make them shine. As it is, the tracks on their ambitious Eden in Ashes are often heady and undisciplined, yet the potential is so evidently there.

Some pretty choruses on Threnody keeps the track interesting, while nice guitar progression from Tom and Mark Ward exists on Borealis even as the song tends to suffer from jagged rawness and random haphazardness. On the other hand, you can’t fault the excellent keyboards and the vocal switches between clean and hard. Mark Ward has a pretty distinct alt rock voice; he’s on the path to be a sensation if he wants it.

The reeds and percussion that opens Nothing But a Shadow accent the hypnotic guitar melodies that grace much of the song. Again, a deeper furrow into the talents that comprise the band would embellish this song beyond what’s presented, although the heavy strumming section certainly does a wonderful job in taking this song closer to its potential.

Empty the Sky is proof positive of this band’s potential. It’s the most solid effort on the album with steady beats and hammering guitars, while Mark Ward relaxes amidst the tempos and harmonies he’s given, especially once the song explodes towards the finish line. Disciple likewise displays the progressive capabilities of Divinity Destroyed, which builds strength upon its few shortfalls. The screaming part jettisons unexpectedly, but it’s so blatant and recorded poorly it roars like a frustrated soundboardist’s pissy tantrum. Some better mixing in the future will likely overcome this predicament.

It’s likely that if Divinity Destroyed continues to improve, this album will be a sought-after collector’s item. Again, the talent is evidently there and it will serve as a blueprint for this band’s future work. It’ll be interesting to check in with this Divinity Destroyed on their sophomore effort.

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