Originally published on 411mania.com/music
It's telling when a band titles an album Beast. Either they are: a) fairly limited in their vocabulary or b) rearing to dig your face into the pavement.
Both are true of Santa Barbara's Devildriver. Fortunately, the latter assessment far outweighs the former. "Extreme" isn't a term that usually gets thrown around with popular metal bands in America, yet it seems oddly fitting here. Like a straight shot of espresso, Beast will put hair on chest (here's to hoping you're a dude ...).
It's amusing to think that Dez Fafara was once a member of one of metal's least intimidating bands. This group will not be mentioned here as he's long distanced himself from such dubious roots. In removing virtually all traces of his questionable quasi-gothic whimpers, the man revealed that he had one of the nastiest voices in metal. This conviction stands firm as the frontman spews his venom a-million-miles-a-minute over the relentless rhythmic maelstrom of "Dead to Rights."
Yes, Dez holds his mic like a taco
Fafara sounds plain pissed. As to what it is exactly that's irking him, one cannot say (there seems to be no general consensus on what it is he's actually saying in the song), but with the buzzing riffs, blistering solos, and John Boecklin's foot to the pedal(s) all the way, there's little time for such minutia. You don't stop to read the fine-print on a billboard when you're going 110 on the Autobahn.
The confrontational "Bring the Fight (To the Floor)" continues the process of steadily running over the listener, but just when it seems there's no relief in sight, the guys suddenly pull a hidden variety card. "Hardened" slows the pace, opening with an eerie fuzzed out guitar melody that gives way to some punishing polyrhythmic battery and one of the group's most technical compositions to date.
"Shitlist," that follows, is sure to become a fan favorite. The song recalls DevilDriver's early staple, "End of the Line," with it's gloomy clean guitar intro, but throws an interesting kink in when Egyptian-flavored fifth harmonies arise and give way to hysterically intense black metal-y verses. Dez also does one of the best screaming banshee impressions I've heard in some time; seriously, the man could haunt a house if he so desired.
These little forays into the unexpected are what give Beast its character and render it far superior to the group's past records. We aren't talking samba breakdowns or sing-along choruses, just a handful of well placed curve balls. One might point to the ethereal bridge and outro of the closing track, "Lend Myself to the Night," for further evidence of this experimentation. I'm not sure if that's dulcimer I hear, but those melodic breaks are friggin' beautiful. The Scandinavian melo-death emulation of The Last Kind Words and Pray for Villains is no longer necessary.
Going hand-in-hand with the heightened appetite for surprise is a remarkable improvement in the department of musicianship. These cats can play. For most of their career, DevilDriver has had the benefit of above average guitar work and drumming to carry them through their less inspired moments, but on Beast such performances do not compensate for certain inadequacies; they drive the album. The constant battle between Boecklin's crushing, off-kilter grooves and Mike Spreitzer and Jeff Kendrick's dizzying riffs and solos makes for a consistently interesting mess of sound that oddly adds to the catchiness of the record. Hell, even bassist Jon Miller's playing is audible and pretty cool in places.
With twelve tracks of sustained heaviosity, Beast inevitably drags, but excluding a handful of weaker songs, is consistent. However, the band does hit some predictable snags with Dez's less desirable qualities. Dez has never written Pulitzer Prize-winning lyrics and he certainly doesn't here. He's improved a little with each album, but he still pumps out plenty of insipid confrontational anthems ("Blur," "Bring the Fight," "You Make Me Sick," etc.) and finds ways to make even his more poetic moments, completely ... un-poetic.
Throw myself to the wind
F**k it
It's worth the risk, it's worth the risk
It's worth believing in
-Lend Myself to the Night
A regular Whitman right there, curse words and all. Fortunately, Dez's less-than-inspired ramblings are generally lost amidst the chaos of the band's glorious ruckus and his monstrous bellows. Come to think of it, the players are really responsible for much of album's success-- Fafara is a lucky man.
Beast is a pleasant surprise from a band that seemed more than content treading water. DevilDriver records in the past have generally been enjoyable, but suffered from a certain lack of depth- lyrical, instrumental, and stylistic. Beast doesn't see the quintet scaling uncharted territory, but with it, they've clearly left the shallow end of the pool.
There's a monster at the 5 ft mark; beware.
(3.5 devilsticks out of 5)
I haven't heard the new album, but I easily like Coal Chamber better than Devildriver.
ReplyDeleteThis album is definitely a grower. The hooks take a few listens to register, but some of these songs are very well written. I'd recommend checking out "Lend Myself to the Night," "Crowns of Creation," and "Shitlist" first.
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading!