Artist: Kill Devil Hill
Title: Kill Devil Hill
Genre: Heavy Metal
Release Date: 25th May 2012
Label: Steamhammer/SPV
Album Review
KILL DEVIL HILL is sort of a new super-group of Rock and Metal combined with notable names like Rex Brown of PANTERA and Vinnie Appice of BLACK SABBATH and DIO within their arsenal. Also included is RATT guitarist Mark Zavon and a relatively unknown, but talented vocalist named Drew Braggs who has a singing style patterned a bit like ALICE IN CHAINS. As a result, the music on the debut ‘Kill Devil Hill’ is a Heavy Metal tinged Grunge assault with a bit of a sludging pace, but a thick, loud sound that adheres to old-school fan tastes. Tracks like ‘Hangman’ will certainly have that ALICE… feel to them in the vocals and the sound of the guitars and bass (Rex Brown’s DOWN influence certainly shines here) and ‘Gates Of Hell’ is a slow, depressing churn with some unique guitar to them that will remind listeners of tracks like ‘This Love’ from PANTERA. Oddly enough, when compared to the first track ‘War Machine’, one would have not expected tracks like these as the album starts out fast, energetic, and almost in the vein of POWER METAL or older HEAVY METAL that is heard in bands like DIO.
Tracks like ‘Rise From The Shadows’ have their own sound to them- slow, churning Rock tracks that don’t really draw on either ALICE… or PANTERA but will still appeal to fans of either bands. It is a rather basic track with just slow, thick chugging that dominates most of the instruments save for croaking spoken word vocals here and there, almost like hidden whispers. ‘We’re All Gonna Die’ includes a few more solos than usual and ‘Mysterious Ways’ really slows things down for the softer side. The surprising hit ‘Up In Flames’ is actually one of the more generic tracks on the album; it merges the slow pace of ‘Mysterious Ways’ with a more energetic sound that can be heard on ‘Hangman’, but when combined it just feels a bit dry and the riffs are the same that are used in about every modern Grunge Rock band these days. Thankfully, the closing ‘Revenge’ picks up the pace and even throws in some Groove Metal screams to vary up the album a bit more. Despite flaws here and there, KILL DEVIL HILL is an enjoyable, somewhat slow ride but carries itself through the influences it draws on without being considered a complete knock off.
Tracklist
01. War machine - 3:09
02. Hangman - 3:40
03. Voodoo doll - 3:53
04. Gates of hell - 4:53
05. Rise from the shadows - 4:03
06. We’re all gonna die - 4:26
07. Strange - 3:31
08. Time & time again - 3:50
09. Old man - 3:06
10. Mysterious ways - 2:25
11. Up in flames - 6:04
12. Revenge - 4:54
Line-up
Vinnie Appice- drums
Rex Brown- bass
Mark Zavon- guitar
Drew Bragg- vocals
Website
www.killdevilhillmusic.com
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 8
Sound: 7
Total: 7.5 / 10
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