A DEVIL'S DIN

It presents a bunch of sensible, playful, and cheerful Retro-Psychedelic songs blending in its own original way influences from various 60-80's Pop, Psychedelic, and Progressive music trends. The trio's songs can excite or contrary loosen up your mind, can pet or scare, but everything here is just for fun. It's a fun journey. Each song here has an individual stylistic shade and demonstrates top-level song-writing and performing skills of the musicians. Arguably, this is the best recording of the band to date. Highly recommended!

But be careful, "One Hallucination Under God" is not a Crossover Prog album! Check out their second album, "Skylight" or 13-minute digital single "I'm Freaking Out: The Saga of The Missing Child", if you're searching for more proggy stuff.

One Day All This Will Be Yours (2011) is A Devil's Din a Canadian band, debut album and it was released by the new label Island Dive Records. The band is formed by Dave Lines (vocals, guitars and keyboards), Colin Burnett (drums), Charles-Etienne Doucet (guitars) and Mikael Tobias (bass).

The first thing that you see when you get the pretty digipack in your hands is that if you never listened to the band you'll think it's a Metal band. The illustration on the cover is a nice one, made by Valerie McBain. It's even more evident in the booklet, a big poster on which you have all the lyrics, info and photos on one side and on the other, you have the same painting but big. But still, the band's logo and the illustration make you think it's a Metal album. And it's not.

Quite hard to point in which sub-genre A Devil's Din. They have a bit of everything. The opening track 'Genus Nova' is a great track, a different kind of Prog feeling. You may recognize this melody, but then, you realize that you don't. I can hear a bit of Silverchair in their latest albums here. The next track 'Answers' keeps the rock going on with a bit of humour.

But then from the third track on we have a downhill up to almost the end of the album. Maybe it's because One Day All This Will Be Yours (2011) was recorded in two different studios, but the next tracks sound completely different. ' If Only I Could Explain' is too 'regular', there's nothing in the track. 'She Sings A Silent Hollow' is also weak. 'Don't Stand A Chance' and 'Flesh Robotica' have a really bad drum sound, almost plastic. But the first one shows Mikael Tobias' bass thundering away with nice lines.

'Higher Than Desire' is a ballad, but the production of the album keeps killing the songs. Dave Lines (vocals, guitars, keyboards and production) is a very good writer and his lyrics are excellent. But overall, the band need more variation within their songs. A bit more of polishing.

Then we have 'Star Baby' that shows us A Devil's Din of the beginning of the album with a good production. This is a very good song. 'Falling Star' and 'WARGASM!' have good ideas and good riffs. And wisely the band finished the album with 'Recipe For An Onion'. This is an acoustic guitar driven song with great chords changing and a very good ending.

There's also an unnamed track in One Day All This Will Be Yours (2011). In fact, there are two, but track 12 is only silence, track 13 is a hidden bonus song that is a bit more straight rock. The name of the track is 'Reset', but I only know that because of their Soundcloud page, because there's nothing on the CD about it. This one could be easily on the album in the place of one of the weaker tracks.

A Devil's Din's One Day All This Will Be Yours (2011) lacks in unity, which can be understood because it is the first album of the band and they have a lot to learn. Unfortunately, the band suffers the evil of many independent recordings: Poor recording and mixing. But the band has one very important thing! Good songs. And even more special, great lyrics. Their next album if well produced and well-crafted with songs will be a very good one. And by the sample they gave us not long ago in their Soundcloud page (soundcloud.com/adevilsdin/skylight) we can expect a good second album.

(Originally posted on progshine.net)