Devourment - Pious Impiety

EP REVIEW
Pious Impiety
Devourment (brutal slamming death metal)
2026 June 11
3 tracks
11:59
Relapse Records

I was waiting for coffee when I scrolled on Instagram to see a post from Relapse Records. “DEVOURMENT SURPRISE EP DROP” is all I could see of the caption. My ass nearly shot through the roof of my head. The first new Devourment in 7 years. 

For the uninitiated, Devourment is the slam band. I’ll explore the band’s legacy more in my review of their last album - 2019’s Obscene Majesty - which I was working on when this new EP dropped. For now, just know that new tunes from these dudes is big news for the unemployed and fans of fast burps. 

With Pious Impiety, it feels like Devourment has found their niche again: real deal brutal slamming death metal, right from the demon’s teat. Just like Molesting the Decapitated and Obscene Majesty - Devourment’s two most cohesive releases, in my opinion - this EP starts off with a sample, this time from the 2005 film The Exorcism of Emily Rose. And the similarities to those past works don’t stop there. The serious tone of the cover art, the lineup, and the production of Pious Impiety make it seem part of a branching lineage of Devourment’s catalog consisting of the three aforementioned releases. I’m not saying that Butcher, Conceived, and Unleash are bad albums, but I’m glad to see the band continuing with a more serious tone. I think it works really well for this brand of Devourment’s slam. 

I don’t think the unity of effect between these three releases is any mistake either. Pious Impiety strikes me as Devourment’s attempt to keep the spirit of their legendary first release alive in 2026. Even 2019’s Obscene Majesty was in conversation with Molesting, being released 20 years later and consisting of a semi-reformed original lineup. To me, this is the band’s most conducive formula. And part of this formula is raw production quality.

I’ve seen some conflicting opinions online regarding the overall sound of Pious Impiety. In a world of amp sims and triggered drums, raw recording can sound flat or uninteresting. Even the uninitiated can tell that this doesn’t sound like polished deathcore - and it isn’t supposed to. If there’s any genre that makes the most of raw production, it’s slam. I don’t wish that Molesting was remade today with the most modern recording methods. The uncompressed, airy nature of the tone makes the violence feel real. They aren’t trying hard to make it seem bigger than it is. If any sound was on the table, I’d still want Devourment to reach for this one. 

The biggest change to Devourment’s sound on this one, actually, is the composition of the guitar. And I know what it is: Marvin Ruiz. I’ve been a fan of Stabbing since the release of their second album, Extirpated Mortal Process. It was the closest I had heard a slam band get to their progenitor form of BSDM other than Devourment. I also had the pleasure of seeing Stabbing live, where Marvin’s guitar mastery was truly impressed upon me. I couldn’t believe how quickly and easily he moved from chord to chord while also filling in on vocals. I saw hints of his involvement with Devourment going a while back, but this is the first time we get to hear his influence on a recording. There were a few times listening to this EP that I thought “Wait, is this Stabbing or Devourment?” Some of the pinch harmonics and grooves feel uniquely Ruiz. To be clear, I’m not saying anyone has become derivative. Both bands still hold their own style. In my opinion, Marvin’s addition to Devourment is a positive. His playing maintains the spirit of Devourment’s writing. It feels like Marvin could’ve been an alternative founding member. I hope the band maintains this lineup for at least one more full-length record, because it's a potent producer of putrid tunes. 

Compositionally speaking, I don’t even think I need to analyze anything on a per-song basis. It’s Devourment. It sounds like Devourment - but, as I said, with some Stabbing added in. Ruben Rosas’ unmistakable gurgle and Brad Fincher’s spastic grooves permeate the sludgy chugs on these three tracks and 12 minutes. 

I hope Pious Impiety is only the appetizer to a main course soon to come, and I hope they tap into the same lineage this latest release is born from. I need more Devourment from this lineup. 

8/10