Up next I thought I’d take a look at the band DevilDriver. This is a band I can remember listening to the album The Fury of Our Maker’s Hand and thinking these guys were badass then seeing them with Lamb of God and Soilwork a few years later in Long Beach. So here we go……
DevilDriver- so as most people who listen to this music should know, this was the first album that vocalist Dez Fafarra made after Coal Chamber. Musically, it is a bit simpler and it’s more of a death metal style than Coal Chamber. I remember the song Devil’s Son being on a SCRUBS episode too. Overall, it’s a pretty good debut album just nothing special. I give it a strong 8/10
Standouts: Devil’s Son, Nothing’s Wrong?, I Dreamed I Died
The Fury of Our Makers Hand- I feel like 2005 was one of those years where a lot of great albums came out. I mean we had bands like Exodus, Arch Enemy, Soulfly, and Chimaira all put out great records and this one is definitely one of those. This was also my introduction to DevilDriver as well with the song Hold Back The Day and the song Driving Down The Darkness was also featured on SCRUBS. Musically, it’s a bit more cohesive than the last record and the songs are a bit more structured. I give this one 10/10
Standouts: End of the Line, Ripped Apart, The Fury of Our Makers Hand
The Last Kind Words- this is one of those albums where you could listen to this one and the last one back to back and it would make for one long great album. This one definitely picks up where Fury left off but it’s not a repeat. I think when I saw them for the first time, they were opening for Lamb of God and Soilwork in Long Beach and what a fun show that was. The songs from this album live are absolutely badass. I think this is the album where they have little kids playing their instruments. It’s a cool video. Anyway, another fantastic record and I give it 10/10
Standouts: Clouds Over California, Horns of Betrayal, Not All Who Wander Are Lost
Pray For Villains- this was one of those records where I kept on hearing people bringing it up but for some odd reason, I didn’t really listen to it and I’m not sure why. I mean the last record was excellent and I think I was just into different bands at the time so I didn’t really pay attention to this one. It’s kind of too bad because this is a pretty good record. I know that some reviews say this isn’t as good as other releases. While yes it’s not as solid as the last couple, it’s still worth a listen. The songs on here are a little bit slower but not by much. Overall a pretty solid album and I give it 8/10
Standouts: Pray For Villains, I’ve Been Sober, Forgiveness Is A Six Gun
Beast- I’ve heard some say that this is Last Kind Words part 2 and while it has elements of that album, I’d hardly call it that. In fact I’d even say it’s a little more technical as far as the guitars are concerned. Jeff Kendrick and Mike Spreitzer make an awesome guitar team and the guitars are definitely a standout here. To me, this should have been the album after Kind Words. I give it 7/10
Standouts: Coldblooded, Dead To Rights, Blur
Winterkills- this one kind of sees them return to form and here I feel like the songs are a bit on the melodic side. This one has elements of an album like Beast mixed in with Villains. One of the things that also stood out are the guitars and the solos. One thing that is on this record (and it kind of loses points) is a cover of that AWOLNATION song Sail. I truly cannot stand that song and am not sure why on earth they would choose to cover that song. Sadly, this would be the last album with original guitarist Jeff Kendrick and drummer John Boecklin I give this one 7/10
Standouts: Desperate Times, Ruthless, Gutted
Trust No One- not sure how I feel about this one. Yes it’s a DevilDriver record but there just seems to be something lacking. In terms of the sound, I’d say it’s a combination of Fury and Winterkills. Yes it only has Dez and Mike from the last album but with a new drummer and guitarist and perhaps that’s it. Maybe something just hasn’t caught my ear yet but all in all, a very solid album. I give it 6/10
Standouts: Bad Deeds, This Deception, Evil on Swift Wings
Outlaws ‘til The End- this is an interesting record because it’s a covers album but it’s a country covers album. I mean you have songs from Hank Williams 1 and 3, Dwight Yoakam, Johnny Cash, and Willie Nelson. Another thing about this album is that there are a ton of guest vocalists on here. There’s Burton C. Bell, Randy Blythe, John Carter Cash, Hank 3, Lee Ving, and Wednesday 13 among others. Like I said it’s interesting to hear country covers done by a band like DevilDriver but it’s not the worst thing I’ve heard. Again not sure how I feel about this one whether to like it or hate it. Anyway, I give it 6/10
Standouts: Whiskey River, The Ride,If Drinkin’ Don’t Kill Me
Now there is supposed to be another Outlaw record coming soon and there is another album of new material coming too. They have only released one song called Iona and it’s just ok. I will need to hear the rest of the album to determine if it’s good or not.
Final Grade: B
Album Rankings:
- The Fury Of Our Maker’s Hand
- Last Kind Words
- DevilDriver
- Beast
- Pray For Villains
- Winterkills
- Trust No One
- Outlaws ‘til The End
Sinister Reviews 