It's not surprising to see that brutal metalcore is offered up by Devilinside when knowing that the group feature former members of Disembodied within their ranks. Originally recorded in late 2002, this outing has been in limbo for quite awhile following some record label changes that have since seen the band become a part of the Abacus Recordings roster. With the business side now settled, "Prelude" finally sees a release and though it may be exactly what it's namesake suggests, it is still an unflinching display of metal infused hardcore that is rarely short on intensity or seething primal aggression.

Stick a few banderilla in a raging bull and you'll have a close comparison to the attitude and demeanor Devilinside convey through their music. It's grim, downtuned and vicious with little attention paid to any technical flair or graceful instrumentation. In fact, one thing that really set the band apart are the fact that they don't seem to religiously draw inspiration from European bands like so many of their current peers. Sure they may cite bands like Entombed and Sepultura as influences, but "Prelude" is decidedly short of any guitar heroics or instrumental acrobatics. Instead it actually sees the band sounding quite North American, with tinges of modern metal rearing their head throughout the course of the disc. One could even go so far as to say that the band can bring to mind groups like Chimaira or older Slipknot at times, though that would be more through the aesthetic and tuning than anything else as the grooves here are often quite sludgey.

Still, for all the dust and scorched earth this band leave behind them as they violently express themselves, this EP does have a few things going against it. While it is a welcome introduction, the time that has passed since its initial recording does leave it sounding a bit dated and rough around the edges. There's also a somewhat distinct lack of direction to the material at times with breakdowns dragging on a bit too long for their own good and such. Without question the metal scene has evolved greatly over the past year with huge strides being made back to more technical metal and it will be interesting to see how such shifts have influenced the band on their forthcoming full-length, which this EP serves as a precursor to. If you're looking for some barbarous modern metalcore that doesn't fall into any tough guy NYHC routines or lambaste you with relentless soloing, Devilinside is the aural corruption you need. If you're not looking for that, then you're probably just interested in hearing At The Gates get re-hashed yet again.