Album Type : Full Length
Date
Released :
23/8/2013
Label
:
Napalm Records
Winter
Kill, album track listing :
1.
The Oath
2.
Ruthless
3.
Desperate Times
4. Winter Kills
4. Winter Kills
5.
The Appetite
6.
Gutted
7.
Curses and Epitaph’s
8.
Caring’s Overkill
9.
Hunting Refrain
10.
Tripping Over Tombstones
11.
Sail
Bio
:
The Band :
Dez Fafara –
lead vocals
Jeff Kendrick
– guitar
John Boecklin
– drums
Mike Spreitzer
– guitar
Chris Towning
– bass
Review
:
Oft the musical equivalent of a punch in the face, I don't think there's a band out there who could ever match DevilDriver's brutality. Sure, there are much heavier bands in existence, but DevilDriver’s uncanny knack in conjuring songs with both monolithic brutality and searing beauty is just outstanding.
Oft the musical equivalent of a punch in the face, I don't think there's a band out there who could ever match DevilDriver's brutality. Sure, there are much heavier bands in existence, but DevilDriver’s uncanny knack in conjuring songs with both monolithic brutality and searing beauty is just outstanding.
Recorded
at Audiohammer Studios in Florida, album number 6 draws more
comparisons to 'The Fury of the Maker's Hand' than it does to 'Pray
for Villains' or 'Beast.' This is somewhat understandable however
considering it's their first release since longtime bassist Jon
Miller, who was attributed with a lot of writing credits on 'Pray for
Villains'. Yet, what we are greeted with is not the sound of a band
traveling in some new direction at all. Winter Kills sounds like no
other band but DevilDriver, it is a classic record. Dare I say, this
may be their best record yet?
From
the explosive opening of Oath
in the Abyss
to the metallic bastardization of indie band Awolnation's track Sail,
a song his teenage sons brought to his attention, this album is
nothing short of astonishing. You are given no time to breath between
the opening tracks as they tear you a new arsehole one by one. Oath
in the Abyss
opens in a typically ferocious, unapologetic manner with a grooving
riff, straddled by harmonized lead guitar that wails phenomenally.
The theme for the album is very much set here.
With Mark Lewis (Trivium, Chimaira, The Black Dahlia Murder) behind the producers desk for his second consecutive DevilDriver album the sound is pristine, its clarity integral to the flaunting of both this bands outstanding qualities. Exemplified no better than on tracks like Ruthless and The Appetite; their ability to turn from the blisteringly heavy to the painfully beautiful in the blink of an eye is bewilderingly brilliant. Arguably the smartest written song on the record, The Appetite builds with clean guitars before unleashing a ridiculously amount of irresistible hooks, killer riffs and a solo that will leave you on your knees. It ticks every box of the expectations you had before listening to the album. No expletive could accurately describe the unadulterated power of this song. I guarantee you’ll be singing “eyes of fire on you” in no time.
As the album draws to a close, you find yourself unable to pick out a standout track. They are all sensational. Latter tracks like Curses and Epitaphs, Haunting Refrain and Tipping Over Tombstones all grab you by the scruff of the neck and thrash you about something silly. Sail meanwhile, provides the album’s final flourish. On its surface, DevilDriver covering an indie band is a terrifying thought. It simply isn’t the reality though. It’s a track that proves just how good this band is at writing songs. Taking a synth orientated pop song, Dez Fafara saw the potential for a makeover, and he knew how good the song would look in war paint and a Pantera shirt. It is this ear for a hook, for that spark in something and then his, and the rest of the band’s resourcefulness to turn it into something truly special that makes DevilDriver what they are.
By this point, I’ve ran out of superlatives. Listen to this album and you will to. Obviously time will be the true test for this album, although I feel it will have no problem. This is an assured long stay in the CD and vinyl players of metalheads the world over. Whether or not you think that Winter Kills is their best release to date is up to you, but it is a definite contender.
With Mark Lewis (Trivium, Chimaira, The Black Dahlia Murder) behind the producers desk for his second consecutive DevilDriver album the sound is pristine, its clarity integral to the flaunting of both this bands outstanding qualities. Exemplified no better than on tracks like Ruthless and The Appetite; their ability to turn from the blisteringly heavy to the painfully beautiful in the blink of an eye is bewilderingly brilliant. Arguably the smartest written song on the record, The Appetite builds with clean guitars before unleashing a ridiculously amount of irresistible hooks, killer riffs and a solo that will leave you on your knees. It ticks every box of the expectations you had before listening to the album. No expletive could accurately describe the unadulterated power of this song. I guarantee you’ll be singing “eyes of fire on you” in no time.
As the album draws to a close, you find yourself unable to pick out a standout track. They are all sensational. Latter tracks like Curses and Epitaphs, Haunting Refrain and Tipping Over Tombstones all grab you by the scruff of the neck and thrash you about something silly. Sail meanwhile, provides the album’s final flourish. On its surface, DevilDriver covering an indie band is a terrifying thought. It simply isn’t the reality though. It’s a track that proves just how good this band is at writing songs. Taking a synth orientated pop song, Dez Fafara saw the potential for a makeover, and he knew how good the song would look in war paint and a Pantera shirt. It is this ear for a hook, for that spark in something and then his, and the rest of the band’s resourcefulness to turn it into something truly special that makes DevilDriver what they are.
By this point, I’ve ran out of superlatives. Listen to this album and you will to. Obviously time will be the true test for this album, although I feel it will have no problem. This is an assured long stay in the CD and vinyl players of metalheads the world over. Whether or not you think that Winter Kills is their best release to date is up to you, but it is a definite contender.
Words
by :
Phillip Weller
For
More Information :
Thanks to Napalm Records for sending us a promo to review.
