DOVAS – Everlasting Lake Of Fire
Chris Dovas is a New Hampshire based musician who has been active in music since at least 2016. If you want to see some of his early work on video, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0iOW3ESIHk and check out some of the old covers. You will see some other musical friends there, including Caio Kehyayan, Peter De Reyna, Jack Kosto and Haydee Irizarry. You should check out the newer videos so you can see the phenomenal progression he made in the last five years.
Independent Release
De Reyna Management
https://dereynamanagement.com
https://www.chrisdovas.com
Band Members:
- Chris Dovas – Drums, Vocals, Guitars
- Peter De Reyna – Bass
- Ryan Beevers – Guest Guitars (Satan’s Command, Nailed To A Cross, Depths Of Hell)
- Caio Kehyayan – Guest Guitars (Human Sacrifice, Sentenced To Death, Everlasting Lake Of Fire)
Everlasting Lake Of Fire
Release date – May 8, 2020
Tracklist:
- Commandments of the Damned
- Satan’s Command
- Nailed to a Cross
- Left Hand Path
- Depths of Hell
- Human Sacrifice
- Sentenced to Death
- Everlasting Lake of Fire
Everlasting Lake Of Fire opens with the haunting instrumental track “Commandments Of The Damned”. The tones are dark and foreboding, with harsh spoken lyrics about bowing to Satan’s command. This tale is not going to provide a joyous return for the hero. This trip ends in eternal torment surrounded by Hellfire. The next track, aptly named “Satan’s Command”, is a rapid-fire, blistering song that runs at warp speed from start to finish. The vocals are growled, and the drums are brutal. Blast beats on blast beats followed by blast beats. There is no relenting from the onslaught.
“Nailed To A Cross” is another blazing fast track with blast beats galore and a killer riff. The bass line is equal to the riff and holds the tempo beautifully. The lead guitar work is melodic and provides a nice counterpoint to the darker tones of the rhythm. The choir-like backing vocals add more texture to the song, beefing it up and making it feel like a symphony for the damned.
Next comes my personal favorite on the disc, “Left Hand Path”. As someone old enough to remember when people who used their left hand were considered “wrong” or “evil,” this song hits home a little. I like the song so much because of the more melodic riff. I also really like those guitar tones sprinkled in. The frenetic pace, mixed with the melodic intro, gives this song a wider appeal. As with all the songs, the rhythm is incredible. As a non-musician, I am amazed and impressed at the sheer speed and volume of notes; this takes a significant amount of skill.
“Depths Of Hell” has some of the more melodic textures to them. This song stays more melodic than “Left Hand Path.” The vocals are pretty good, showing a bit more range to the growl, making this a close second for my favorite song. “Human Sacrifice” is back to full-force Dovas style metal. The drums are non-stop and right on point. The lyrics let you know you have no choice; Lucifer is in control here. The bridge is killer, giving just a bit of a reprieve so you can catch your breath before launching back to hyper-speed. I marvel at how fast the musicians play.
“Sentenced To Death” and the title track, “Everlasting Lake Of Fire”, are incredibly fast-tempo songs. Wrapping up the first part of the tale, the protagonist’s afterlife is known, and it is quite hot. This story will continue on the next Dovas release, Preacher Of Lies. Everlasting Lake Of Fire is not a lake you take a boat out on and do some tubing. Hell is not a vacation spot.
You knew from the start there was not going to be a happy ending here as envisioned by religions worldwide. Everlasting Lake Of Fire is a tale as old as time. This story is the one you are told as a child to make you obey and follow a prescribed set of rules, to follow the groupthink most parents hand out without thinking about how it sounds. Do good, have no fun, be obedient, and do not challenge the status quo, no matter what. The music composition on this record is pretty outstanding. The ability to shift from brutal Death metal to melodic metal is not always easy and can be quickly screwed up. Everlasting Lake Of Fire has incredibly smooth transitions. The musicians all have amazing talents and show them off exquisitely here. Many a Death metal band fail on that point more than any other. Dovas excels in that area, writing complex songs with beautiful flow, even at 200+ beats per minute.
MZ Ratings:
- Musicianship
- Guitars – 10
- Rhythms – 10
- Vocals – 9
- Songwriting – 9
- Production – 9
- Overall – 9.40
