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The Gauntlet: DevilDriver |
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Tracklist
1. Not All Who Wander Are Lost
2. Clouds Over California
3. Bound By The Moon
4. Horn Of Betrayal
5. These Fighting Words
6. Head On To Heartache (Let Them Rot)
7. Monsters Of The Deep
8. Tirades Of Truth
9. Burning Sermon
10. When Summoned
11. The Axe Shall Fall
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DevilDriver gains steam with each successive release, reaching yet another epoch with its latest bone-splintering effort, “The Last Kind Words.” As the group’s frontman Dez Fafara screams “Let the chaos reign!” during the outstandingly volatile “Clouds Over California,” the group sounds as brash and forceful as ever. Bringing in producer extraordinaire Jason Suecof and Andy Sneap, who mixed the album was the best move that could have been made, the highly experienced studio duo tapping into the raw appeal of the band’s live set, while bringing in an upfront production that bursts through the speakers like a briefcase bomb.
Bassist Jon Miller and drummer John Boecklin offer torrential performances throughout the record, alternating between ravaging blasts and mid-paced grooves during the wicked opener “Not All Who Wander Are Lost.” Boecklin’s drum rolls take a backseat to his deft twin-kick battering, but when the drummer tears across the aerials during this track, the massive pounding will leave your ears damaged and your head throbbing.
We hear even more elements of melodic death metal on “The Last Kind Words,” due to a renewed emphasis on guitar melodies that bear a distinctly European flavor. As “These Fighting Words” rolls in like a dark cloud, the guitar work by Mike Speritzer and Jeff Kendrick make the cut all the more memorable, while the gnarled vocalization of Fafara provides plenty of brooding anger. Check the lead work on this track for evidence of the expanded musical palette of the band, as the group moves beyond the more straightforward approach of its first two full length records, toward a songwriting style that brings musicianship to the fore.
From boisterous grooves to patently extreme overtones, “The Last Kind Words” is undoubtedly the best album we’ve heard from DevilDriver to this day. Fafara and his crew have managed to ascend yet again, putting DevilDriver at the fore of the new breed of heavy metal. Expect to receive plenty of repeat plays from this beast of an album, one that will rank amongst the years best with many metal fans.
Review by: E.F.
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