Out of all the bands on tonight's show, Devestus gets the award for most improved. About a year ago I saw some old YouTube videos of the band and they were bad. No, I mean REALLY bad! To be honest I kind of dismissed them. Now recently I had a really great opportunity to see them live. I was shocked it was the same three guys. They had somehow went from a third rate Death Metal band to a really great Progressive Death Metal band. Their playing was ten times better and it had to be all new songs because the songs had 100 times more depth to them. Within a single song there was sometimes three or four musical influences that you would think could never go together, but somehow they did it. I quickly became intrigued. Anyone who knows me will tell you that a great majority of Death Metal bands bore me to no end, but they way this band now plans their song structures keeps the listener waiting to hear what they will do next.
The current line up formed about 2 1/2 years ago. However the band was originally formed 4 years ago. The founders being a guitarist named Benjamin Harris and Elijah Molohon. Devestus picked up their primary writing influence Tristan about a year after forming and shortly after picked up drummer Ben Ragan. Due to musical differences guitarist Benjamin Harris was asked to leave around this time. Devestus has hit a few challenges though. Elijah gave his words on this issues they have faced: "The group has always held the idea that musical integrity is greater then pleasing the crowd, this along with the underground musical genre we play has given us some trouble in finding a fan base and venues to play shows however we have pulled through and have been playing as much shows as we can." 19 of their 20 songs end with someone dying, with aberrant psychology being a primary theme. The "lyrical death count" is over 21 Billion people. On the band's evolution of their unique style, "Ben first brought in a classic rock drum sound and mixed with Tristan's grindcore/shoe gaze melo death guitar and my primarily funk and groove bass created what you will hear in our music. We've all used the same instruments for the entirety of the bands history. Elijah's amplifiers and bass are known to randomly stop working, and occasionally shock him. A look at the band's Facebook page will show the band is never afraid to show a sense of humor. Devestus are also all members of the same Dungeons and dragons group with Ben Ragan as the dungeon master.
If I was to change one thing about the band it would be more diverse vocal styles. Keep the low end, but toss in a few high end growls here and there for punctuation. If they did this they could become my favorite Death Metal band of all time. Which again is saying a lot because I'm not a fan of Death Metal as a rule. So no matter what your thoughts on Death Metal, you should really give Devestus a try. They are far from your average Death Metal band and I truly believe that they could win over people who are fans of the more "extreme" styles as well as those that prefer a more traditional vocal.
Due to all the band members getting ready to go into college soon, this will be one of the final performances of this line up. What will the band sound like next year? No one knows, but maybe them. So if you want a chance to hear the most improved Metal band in all of Olympia, WA you better make sure and come early enough to catch Devestus. They are on at 6:00 pm sharp.
Location: Invictus Cafe 207 Washington St, Olympia, WA 98516
Time: 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm
Date: April 7th 2012 (Saturday)
What: The retail product launch of Rock My Monkey Energy Drink.
Price: $6 Regular $3 with V.I.P pass (get 'em from the bands)
Bands Confirmed:
Saturday, April 7, 2012 at 3:38PM 
