Artist: Devildriver
Title: Beast
Genre: Metal
Release Date: 18th February 2011
Label: Roadrunner Records
Album Review
DEVILDRIVER continue their “every 2 year” trend of full length album releases, only this time they’ve returned to the form of the earlier ones. For those who felt that the last album, ‘Pray For Villains’, was too experimental in the groove metal zone, ‘Beast’ harks back to the old DEVILDRIVER motto: work hard and kick ass! And this album completely kicks ass. ‘Beast’ has all the fury mixed with melody that made albums like ‘Fury Of The Maker’s Hand’ so enjoyable. One part catchy and one part brutal, Dez Fafara and crew know how to make a good metal tune and have stuck by it for almost eleven years now with DEVILDRIVER. And the diversity just keeps on coming.
‘Beast’ will most notably be known in the future for its hard hooks, vicious attitude through the vocals / lyrics, and knowing how to stay aggressive and brutal without making every track sound the same; similar to the debut album, but not falling into a monotone category. Sure there are a few riffs here and there that may sound like they were recycled from the previous album - such as with the track ‘Blur’ and how it sounds like ‘Pray For Villains’ - but overall ‘Beast’ stands on its own. There are tracks like ‘Dead To Rights’ that kick the teeth in right from the start, yet feature plenty of subtle groove so it doesn’t feel like total oblivion. ‘Hardened’ eases fans into the music before blasting them with the tightly knit drums and guitar melodies that DEVILDRIVER can compose so well. ‘You Make Me Sick’ has excellent melodies, especially during the guitar solos. ‘Black Soul Choir’ features some experimental bits during the interlude with the almost eastern sounding guitars and raspy spoken words by Dez that, as usual, show the band’s maturation as the years go by, and always hints a new direction or future appearances. The final track, ‘Lend Myself To The Night’, is the most melodically solo charged track on the album and offers beauty and brutality mixed together perfectly.
Fans of DEVILDRIVER already have probably already lined up for this album since its announcement of release back in December. It is certainly a contender already for “best metal album of 2011”, and a great place for new fans to start because it takes all the bits that made the last four albums so good and compacts it into about an hour of listening time. Whether one loves this band for the brutality of their debut, the melody of their second and third albums, or the solid groove of their last one, ‘Beast’ turns the aggression up a notch without forsaking any of the other elements that separates DEVILDRIVER from the typical cookie cutter bands out there. The beast has been unleashed!
Tracklist
01. Dead to Rights 4:53
02. Bring the Fight (to the Floor) 3:33
03. Hardened 5:46
04. Shitlist 4:04
05. Talons Out (Teeth Sharpened) 4:20
06. You Make Me Sick 5:18
07. Coldblooded 4:06
08. Blur 4:58
09. The Blame Game 4:00
10. Black Soul Choir 5:07
11. Crowns of Creation 4:55
12. Lend Myself to the Night 4:01
Line-up
Bradley "Dez" Fafara - Vocals
Mike Spreitzer - Guitar
Jeff Kendrick - Guitar
Jon Miller - Bass, Guitar
John Boecklin - Drums, Guitar
Website
http://www.devildriver.com/
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 9
Sound: 9
Total: 9 / 10
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