All things considered, we could sit here all day and go back and forth about the modern state of technical death metal. Instantly, names like Necrophagist, Inferi, Archspire, First Fragment, and many others would come about as absolute, undeniable pillars of the sound that have all shaped the sound into the tremendously intimidating beast that it has become with other bands not far behind them in showing us what they’re made of. While there are plenty of names out there worthy of mention many times over from Equipoise to Coexistence to Demon King to Carnosus, my brain constantly and instantly gravitates towards Devil’s Reef. Comprised of some of the youngest musicians the scene has observed see this much success, the trajectory for Devil’s Reef has rightfully only been skyward since day one. It’s been two years since we last heard from them with “A Whisper from the Cosmos” already promising great things for the band’s future. Whatever promises there were, “The Droste Observer” sees all of them and more fulfilled.

This is the kind of album where there can only be a single complaint that I could ever have about it with it simply being that it comes to an end. With a runtime of 35 minutes across eight devastating tracks, “The Droste Observer” only sees Devil’s Reef continuing its crazy upward trend in quality, prowess, and intensity. If it was with “Chosen by the Sea” that we saw Devil’s Reef begin to show us what they’re able to summon forth while “A Whisper from the Cosmos” saw the act further hone their already-deadly craft, it is with all that’s brought to the table for “The Droste Observer” that Devil’s Reef cements their status as one of the up-and-coming bands of the rising technical death metal landscape that are not to be denied lest you miss out on one of the most compelling acts in the scene.

Calculated aggression mixed with mind-melting levels of technical prowess when it comes to the mastery of the instruments, the very state of technical death metal has never been anything to deny with bands that excel at it really putting on shows that are not to be missed. Devil’s Reef has been such a name to recognize with “The Droste Observer” bringing out some of the band’s most infectious and mature works to date by a large margin. It’s the sort of album that you keep on loop because the occult euphoria never ceases as Devil’s Reef is impressive at every given turn be it in their dramatic contrast between ferocious heaviness and atmospheric horror, tremendous riffs and rhythms that keep you rooted in place such that the whole thirty-five minutes of record fly by in what feels like mere moments, or the simple factor of intoxication through eldritch visages and monoliths of fear that drive the piece to become the menacing creation that it is right out of the gate. While not as outwardly technical or progressive as some of their contemporaries, Devil’s Reef makes up for that in really choosing their moments to let loose. Immediately, that allows “The Droste Observer” to be a terrific rollercoaster whose twists and turns are nothing to underestimate unless you’re looking for the most vicious kind of whiplash. Maybe you’re into that. If you are, then Devil’s Reef is the right you’ve been looking for! And even if you’re not, I defy you to tell me that “The Droste Observer” isn’t a beast looking to devastate and destroy at every given opportunity.

Whatever it was that Devil’s Reef sought to prove with this album, it should go without saying that they’ve achieved it many times over. “The Droste Observer” is a positively supreme creation that towers over much of what the tech-death scene has put out this year with extremely few able to say that they’ve come even close to what Devil’s Reef has accomplished here. Be it The Zenith Passage or the aforementioned Carnosus, Devil’s Reef deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as those two when it comes to top-tier technicality when 2023 comes to a close. I can already say with confidence that this is hands down one of the favorite albums of 2023 without even considering all that Devil’s Reef has accomplished in years prior, and I know damn well that they still have so much more to be done before they succumb to the waves. Whatever it is that’s to follow “The Droste Observer”, I can only humbly ask that you join me on the shores as the inevitable presence rises from the depths once again to show us what they’re made of. But, until then, “The Droste Observer” is an offering we shouldn’t so easily forget.

“The Droste Observer” releases on December 8th via The Artisan Era!

LISTEN to an advanced track from “The Droste Observer” on Bandcamp here, or via YouTube below.

LIKE Devil’s Reef on Facebook here.