Label - Napalm Records
Release Date - 12th May 2023
Words- Chris Fletcher
With three decades and nine full-length records under their belt, a band like DevilDriver needs no introduction. Yet, not content to simply sit back on their trademark style, new album Dealing With Demons: Vol. II continues to push their sound in subtle new directions.
What this does mean, is that anyone who has written the band off or never given them a fair try has the perfect opportunity to pick this record up and see what all the fuss is about.
Whilst the world shut down in 2020, the DevilDriver train kept rolling, releasing the first instalment of this two-part project to widespread acclaim. Looking to capitalize on this momentum, the California five piece are ready to unleash the second half on the world with the question being, can it match or exceed the first?
Straight away, opening track ‘I Have No Pity’ sets the bar high, beginning with a more rhythmically complex riff than one is expecting, raising the intrigue levels immediately. From here we move to ‘Mantra’, which displays the textbook stomp and groove that the band have made their name with. ‘Nothing Lasts Forever’ and ‘Summoning’ show a more dynamic side to the band however, and coupled with some surprisingly hooky vocal elements these are not your run-of-the-mill groove-based affairs.
Building on this notion, the album's stand-out track by a distance is ‘Through The Depths’, on which the band display all the elements that have made them a metal mainstay over the past twenty-plus years whilst also exploring new avenues. A clean lead guitar intro accompanies a string section before giving way to a more black metal style of riffing (previously unheard of on a DevilDriver album) coupled with a chorus that is guaranteed to sound huge live, meaning that this should go down as a classic in their catalogue going forward.
When asking whether or not this matches previous outings, this manages to raise the bar even higher by offering everything you expect and more. But why choose one? Releasing a two-part project of this calibre, at this stage in their career, shows a band on top of their game with no intention of slowing down, and could well represent a pivotal moment in their evolution. Fans of bands like Lamb Of God and Machine Head will find plenty to get stuck into here, and for anyone not familiar with their previous work, if this appeals then you have much to get caught up on.
8/10
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