SONG REVIEW: Devitalized - Welcome Back

Upcoming Metalcore band, Devitalized “Welcomes back” with a Heavy Release To Start 2024

by Jesse Smith

New England Hardcore and Metalcore scene is one of the biggest and best scenes in the USA. It has been for a while, but there is a lot of attention on northeast in 2024. One of the up and coming bands within that scene is Metalcore monsters Devitalized. A relatively new badass band with even more badass breakdowns. If you’re a heavy music addict like I am, then this band is right up your alley. Emerging in mid 2022, the band has consistently released music since then and progressively getting better and heavier and just overall finding their identity in the metal world. Well, the boys are back and they’re bringing the heavy with them in their brand new single “Welcome Back”.

I personally love when artists wear their influences on their sleeve. They aren’t copy/paste versions of others, but use their influences to pave their own way, and that’s exactly what I feel with these guys! The raw, sludgyness mixed with speed and aggression reminds me a lot of the duo in Darko. The intro to Welcome Back starts with an “acapella” if you can call it that of the lead vocalist JP Ratta screaming menacingly “Welcome Back” which was pretty hard. When the band kicked in I was shocked because they didn’t go the direction I thought they would. Instead of going into something slow and heavy, they kept the heavy but turned up the tempo. The guitar tone used in this song is that bright clanky tone that is also used by more modern bands who use 8 strings. The tone that brings out the best in the notes rather than making them sound like just low noise. The song itself has an infectious groove mixed with brilliant heaviness that just keeps getting better as the song moves forward. Drummer Tay Manesis is another highlight in this song with the intricate foot patterns and speed, mostly in the middle of the song. 

This is the band's first release of 2024, so it was a nice “Welcome Back”. This release definitely puts a strong foot forward moving further into this year. I’m going to keep my eyes on this band to see what they do moving forward. It looks like they are due for some new live performances, so if you’re in the NE area, be on the lookout!