DEVENTTER

Deventter is a Brazilian band that I have known since the very beginning. I even met the guys circa 2008. I have the CDs, I share their news and I saw the evolution of the band album by album. From a Progressive Metal regular band to a musical ensemble that knows how to absorb new influences and use them as a benefit for their music.

Empty Set (2013) is Deventter's third album and the finest too. It's quite nice to see how the band developed their sound, added new colours to their music without really losing their own sound.

In The 7th Dimension (2007) the band was closed in the Progressive Metal box with too much influence from the big names of the genre. In Lead' On (2009) those influences were still there but now already mixed with a new wave of Prog and Alt Rock. Finally, in Empty Set (2013) the band pretty much found their sound.

Deventter is formed by Felipe Sch'ffer (vocals), Danilo Pilla (guitars), Leonardo Milani (bass), Hugo Bertolaccini (keyboards) and Caio Teixeira (drums) and Empty Set (2013) was released on May 14th as a free download. One more smart move by the band. Releasing physical CDs nowadays is not an extinct process, not at all! But for bands like Deventter, especially on the Brazilian market, it is kinda silly to believe they'll sell all those 1.000 copies that usually you've got for the 1st press. As a free download album more and more people will listen to the band's music and that's the whole point of this business model. Download your copy here (deventter.com.br).

'Old Major' starts the album and it's a kick in the face. 'Popeinstein' continues the same path. And what impressed me the mos, was Leonardo Milani basses. I wasn't expecting some big and out-of-common tone in his bass, but you've got it. And it's great.

'Blank Death' and 'I-330' show some Muse influence, bit less proggy, more Alt Rock. 'Stains' is a bit weak as for my taste, well written and arranged, but too common. Although Hugo Bertolaccini plays some really clever keyboards on the track.

'Yellow Paper' brings heaviness back to the Deventter's menu. Such clever lyrics about how human beings are pretty much stuck in a big routine that keeps repeating every day. Great guitars by Danilo Pilla throughout the song. 'In Limbo' is too modern for me and I really didn't like it. 'No'Deal' has a great start but, once again, the band is covered with the 'new' rock sound. Muse style. Really not my cup of tea.

'3 Bullets Left, 4 Enemies' brings the Deventter I like back on track. Vocalist Felipe Sch'ffer does a great job in Empty Set (2013), many layers of vocals and good melody lines. In 'Blank Label' Felipe continues with good lines, including his new best friend, the falsetto. Good ballad.

'Same River' brings in the most prog part of the album, aka the 4 last tracks. Great bass line, clever keyboards and catchy vocals. Probably my favorite on the album. What follows is 'Progressive Disorder' and its nice riff. This songs mix the English lyrics with some spoken words in Portuguese. The song deals with the corruption of their homeland. In fact, numerous lyrics of the album deal with that. 'Wallow In Nostalgia' is the longest track on Empty Set (2013) with more than 8 minutes and once again, shows the great bass player that Leonardo Milani is. The track has a heavy riff with good moments by Caio Teixeira too. Closing the album, we have 'Curtain Will Retreat'. You gotta love the cabaret feeling the track exudes. Once again, Hugo and Leonardo rule. Great track to finish a great album.

Truth to be told, Deventter right now is a bit far from being a complete Progressive Rock band. The band's going forward, absorbing the new bands and new music and mixing everything into their own unique sound. Not just that, Empty Set (2013) is amazingly well produced by Adriano Daga and Brendan Duffey. The album was recorded in a great Brazilian studio called Norcal. Although the album is only available as free download (until now), the download brings a great PDF file with the booklet of the album and great art made by vocalist Felipe Sch'ffer. I really would like to see a great digipack version of this album.

Knowing Deventter since 2007 I can honestly say: This is the best album the band has offered so far! They're a hard-working and talented band that deserves to be listened.

Lead' On!

(Originally posted on progshine.net)

The Brazilian sextet DEVENTTER was formed back in 2001, motivated by Hugo Bertolaccini and Andre Gabriotti's shared taste in progressive rock. As the band project evolved, they opted for progressive metal as their expression of choice, and made their debut with the full-length CD "The 7th Dimension" in 2007. "Lead On" is their sophomore effort.

"Lead On" is a steady workout that maintains a generally good quality from start to finish, but is arguably lacking in individual creations that manage to make a grand impression. I suspect that a key audience for this act will be metal fans with a taste for the sophisticated to a greater extent than progressive rock fans with a taste for metal, and I'd advise those who belong to the former to check out this production if they also have a tendency to enjoy material with staccato repetitive patterns and something of a dramatic twist to it in general.

Second album of this brazilian band from 2009 named Lead on... is a little better the the predecesor, but don't expect to be something grounbreaking. The sound is better, the album sounds fat, with crunchy guitar, good bass lines, solid drums and here and there some keyboards that gives a good atmosphere of the album and quite pleasent overall. I don't really like this aproach of prog metal, too modern for my taste, with typical american sound like DT but aswell Pain of Salvation influences are clear. If I want prog metal, then must be blistering keys over some great riifs and solos combined with good vocals. Deventter is a good band that tries hard to kkep with the rest of the bands from this genre, but they fall in hundred bands that have same sound and manner of interpretation. Lead on is not bad for sure, but nothing special either, for me at least. Anyway I prefer this one over the first, but as I said, both albums are quite usual stuff, and I'm not a fan of this kind of prog metal. The band grow from first album to this second release, but they to common in sound. Something that bothered me from the first album and is still present here, they don't have instrumental passages, or better said they have but are very fiew, what instead is all over is the talking, I'm not a fan of this kind of aproach. I want a prog metal band to show me that they are capable to capture my attention for more then 50 min, a thing that Deventter succeded only 50%. So I will give 3 stars, a good follow up but unspectacular prog metal combined with almost uninstristing in places songwritting.

Deventter is a young progressive metal band from Brazil with two albums in their pocket since now. The 7th dimension is their first album from 2007. From the begging I want to add that this first relase of the band is a good album but far from being excellent or exciting. Clearly influenced by bands like Dream Theater around( Train of thought era) and Pain of Salvation, two bands that are not among my fav prog metal outfits, so this album is in my opinion more like a follower then a real leader in this genre. While is quite good in places, what I don't like is that the album has very fiew instrumental passages, the talking instead is all over. Even the longest pieces from here, clocking around 12 min - A Paradox of Self Destruction is no diffrent, I mean talk talk and talk and only when the pieces is almost over around 8 min , they begun to show as some real instrumental arrangements, not bad, really, but I wanted more then 2 min from 12 to be instrumental, in the end an ok pieces. Now the best moments of the album are for sure in the four parts of the piece The longest day. For ex the part I - Sorrow is excellent, great piece, keyboard orientated with symphonic touches, it sounds like a real orchestra, great arrangements, the rest of the parts are also good. The band tries and most of the time succed to come with an enjoyble album, but sometimes they sound to modern for me, If I want a prog metal in my CD player I want something with blistering kyboards , beating drums and great vocals. a thing that only partial is here. Not realy bad for a debute but is long way 'till this guys will realy convinceing me that they worth attention in the future in this genre. 3 stars, a good one overall, but nothing really exciting or over the top, good and nothing more..