Devildriver -Beast
For all of their indebtedness to modern and extreme forms of the genre, in many respects Devildriver are a heavy metal band in the classical sense of the term. They are heavy, intense, but FUN. Their songs are not overthought or clever for the sake of being so, and on tunes like 'Bring the Fight (To the Floor)' and 'Hardened' we find little in the way of subtle introspection or a nuanced comment on the human condition, but rather the positive application of anger, which was always what metal was about. Many modern American metal bands could learn much from this approach. Indeed, for all the aggression, this is a thoroughly enjoyable and upligting experience. Opener 'Dead To Rights' is a frantic melee of riffs and time changes weighed down by punishing grooves and a huge chorus; and 'Shitlist' is as anthemic a blast of modern metal as you are likely to find. In many ways these songs epitomize the album as a whole: Devildriver absorb much of the inventiveness of extreme metal and make it palletable and accessible without weakening it. That's quite an achievement, and on moments like the Pantera-charged 'Blur' the sheer direct power of 'You Make Me Sick' the results are captivating. Following the success of their previous two records - 'Last Kind Words' (2007) and 'Pray For Villains' (2009) - the band are now on a three album run, but have succeeded in upping their game here by injecting some variety into the maddness. The slower, and often more melodic, pieces like 'Talons Out (Teeth Sharpened)' and 'Crowns of Creation' add shades to the darkness and make for a wholly more human quality to the band's sound. Where 'Pray For Villains' opted for directness and embraced a punk-like simplicity at times, 'Beast' demonstrates the band's musicianship, with duel solos resplendent and the God-like drumming of John Broecklin rampant throughout.
Mirror, mirror on the walll, whose the most metal of them all? Lamb of God? Machine Head? Chimara? Devildriver must surely now sit in the big leagues of modern US metal bands. Long may they reign.
For all of their indebtedness to modern and extreme forms of the genre, in many respects Devildriver are a heavy metal band in the classical sense of the term. They are heavy, intense, but FUN. Their songs are not overthought or clever for the sake of being so, and on tunes like 'Bring the Fight (To the Floor)' and 'Hardened' we find little in the way of subtle introspection or a nuanced comment on the human condition, but rather the positive application of anger, which was always what metal was about. Many modern American metal bands could learn much from this approach. Indeed, for all the aggression, this is a thoroughly enjoyable and upligting experience. Opener 'Dead To Rights' is a frantic melee of riffs and time changes weighed down by punishing grooves and a huge chorus; and 'Shitlist' is as anthemic a blast of modern metal as you are likely to find. In many ways these songs epitomize the album as a whole: Devildriver absorb much of the inventiveness of extreme metal and make it palletable and accessible without weakening it. That's quite an achievement, and on moments like the Pantera-charged 'Blur' the sheer direct power of 'You Make Me Sick' the results are captivating. Following the success of their previous two records - 'Last Kind Words' (2007) and 'Pray For Villains' (2009) - the band are now on a three album run, but have succeeded in upping their game here by injecting some variety into the maddness. The slower, and often more melodic, pieces like 'Talons Out (Teeth Sharpened)' and 'Crowns of Creation' add shades to the darkness and make for a wholly more human quality to the band's sound. Where 'Pray For Villains' opted for directness and embraced a punk-like simplicity at times, 'Beast' demonstrates the band's musicianship, with duel solos resplendent and the God-like drumming of John Broecklin rampant throughout.
Mirror, mirror on the walll, whose the most metal of them all? Lamb of God? Machine Head? Chimara? Devildriver must surely now sit in the big leagues of modern US metal bands. Long may they reign.
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