Track By Tracks: DEVOLVER - Non Compos Mentis (2025)

About the album as a whole (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY):

We’ve built a tracklist that we feel is truly driving, musically and lyrically compelling, and engrossing the whole way through. Our goal was to put together a body of work that when you start at track one, you can’t put down until it’s over, and we’re very proud of this record.

Track by Track (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY):

1. Deathtouch:

Deathtouch is fast fast-paced, melodic, and heavy track with a big hook chorus both musically and vocally. Lyrically, it addresses the inescapable fear of loss, defeat, and death, and learning to overcome those challenges and fears.

2. New Blood:

New Blood is a start-to-finish no-quit song with a lot of riffs and a lot of leads. Sure to be a favorite of guitar players. Talks about the thoughts of leaving your old life behind to find and start a new one, even if it is the life of a vampire.

3. Jewels of the Maw:

Jewels of the maw is a thrashy yet groove-oriented song which takes turns you might not expect, but are sure to suck you in. This one is based on all the many themes in the novel Bluebeard by Kurt Vonnegut, condensing themes of genocide, generational trauma, survivor’s syndrome, and the importance and value of the creation and appreciation of art as part of the human experience

4. Wraiths:

Wraiths is a groovy, straightforward track with a big chorus, with some thrash hints and a hint of classic rock/metal. This one digs into interesting spiritual themes of alchemy and speaking with animals as a conduit to communicate with dead loved ones.

5. At Any Cost:

This song was originally written for my and Jaylen’s old band. Devin and Jayde reworked it and planned on using it for a future album, but when Mark heard the reworked demo, he pushed for it to be on this album. We further rewrote in the studio with Mark while tracking it. The song really came alive when Bevin and Mark pushed the drums in a different direction than mine and Devin’s demo. It got faster and heavier and became the ripper it is today. Statement about the true cost of conflict.

6. Non Compos Mentis:

Non Compos is a dark-themed themed slower banger that has symphonic elements and sludgy riffs. Lyrically, the darkest song on the album, the title track (and album artwork), is a true Canadian Heritage Minute, based on the true story of our guitarist Devin Babcock’s ancestor, Amos Babcock. In Shediac, New Brunswick, in 1805, Amos murdered his sister in a fit of religious frenzy, with his family of nine children as onlookers. He tried to hide her body in a snowbank, but was arrested, tried, and hanged for his crime after being pronounced “Non Compos Mentis” and hanged for his crime. He was only the 3rd man to be convicted of murder in the history of New Brunswick.

7. Merciless Storm:

This wasn’t supposed to be a serious song when I started writing the demo. I was trying to write the most obnoxious, slammy, heavy riff I could think of. The groovy solo riff was originally the verse of the song, and the chorus was a very basic version of what it is now. Devin spiced up the rhythm guitars for the second half of choruses 2 and 3, and I wrote leads over top that really took the song to the next level. We made the slammy riff the verse with some tweaks to spice it up. While in the studio, Mark thought the song needed something big before the solo, so I wrote the breakdown riff on the spot, and the song was complete. Devin wrote one of his most insane solos on this one with the craziest horsey squeal. Unrelenting force and the horrors brought in the aftermath of a natural disaster.

8. Suffocating Syndrome:

I pulled some inspiration from Psycroptic for the verse riff of this one. The structure is fairly simple with each riff changing slightly each time it comes back. The melodic chorus is a really cool contrast to the heavy, noodly nature of the rest of the track, and I think features some of Chris’s best vocal work. The song culminates in a huge soaring chorus at the end with a super tasty solo mixed in, then comes crashing to an insane, chaotic ending that will surely leave some soiled pants. This song went through the fewest rewrites in the studio. Discusses the themes of mental illness, with topics of dementia, split personality, and the loss of self-identity.

9. Dehumanize:

Dehumanize is our take on melodic thrash metal. It’s a fast-paced song through and through, only taking a slight break to catch our breath. Tells the story of a mass production robot gaining consciousness, only to realize they are destroying the world. With this realization, it knows the only hope for humanity is the complete destruction of all the robots to rebuild the world. This song discusses the feelings and themes of being an automated drone in the workforce and society, and asks the question: What is your purpose?