Friday 11 October 2013

At Devil Dirt - Plan B: Sin Revolución no hay Evolución - Review

Plan B: Sin Revolución no hay Evolución cover art

At Devil Dirt is a Fuzz/Stoner/Sludge Rock Band from Chile

The members are

Néstor "Gato" Ayala (Guitar/Vocals)
Francisco "Hongo" Alvarado (Drums)
 
At Devil Dirt came to prominence in 2011 with their excellent debut album, which won a lot of praise from fans and critics alike in the Stoner Rock world. In 2012, the band released their incredible 2nd album – Chapter II – which is a firm favourite of ours here at the blog. It showed the band continuing their great sound.
 
At Devil Dirt winning combination of Fuzz, Stoner, Sludge and Grunge riffs made them standout from the crowd. Taking influence from Torche, Alice in Chains, Electric Wizard and The Beatles – it showed a wholly original band from the South American Rock Scene to look out for.
 
The band has been teasing us for the last few months on what their eagerly awaited 3rd album –  Plan B: Sin Revolución no hay Evolución – will sound like. We at Sludgelord were lucky enough to be given a promo ahead of the albums release on October 30th 2013.
 
So what is my verdict of Plan B as I know the guys will be reading this review with anticipation. Well I can say Plan B is my favourite At Devil Dirt album so far. But probably for very different reasons than I originally intended. Yeah Plan B does continue their great style of heavy fuzz driven Sludge/Stoner Rock. This is a very different band that was present on Chapter II.
 
The first two tracks – Don’t See You Around and Conscience – sees At Devil Dirt playing some mighty fine fuzz driven Sludge/Stoner Metal riffs with blistering vocals to match. Believe me Néstor has not sounded as good as he does here. The lyrics are beautifully written as always, which make them easy to remember.
 
The first 10 minutes of the album will make long-time fans happy to see the band still on top form. But from this point forward, you will hear a very different At Devil Dirt.
 
3rd track – Sin Revolución no hay Evolución – may sound like an upbeat Stoner Rock track. But listen to the lyrics and you will hear a track that acts as a warning to people stuck in dangerous political situations. It is still an excellent thunderous Stoner Rock track to rock out to.
 
It is the 4th track that sees the band changing their sound and outlook on life. 40 Years – is a 13 minute epic outlining m their countries turbulent past. This is At Devil Dirt at their most raw, frightening and honest.  A very different band compared to their first two releases. The band adds Drone based atmospherics to their sound later on in the song with a haunting political speech to heighten the tension. I have no clue what the political speech is all about as I do not speak Spanish but you can tell it is rather frightening. The drone based sound effects make up the bulk of the albums epic running time. It could test long-time fans patience to last the distance, but I implore you to do so as it sees At Devil Dirt at their most creative and you will miss some epic riffs for the last 4 mins or so.
 
At Devil Dirt carries on this revolution-esque journey with the next couple of tracks. People Raise Again is a 6:30 minute epic outlining the events after 40 years. The band on majestic fine form once again combining a spellbinding story with emotionally driven riffs that only At Devil Dirt can deliver. I dare anyone not to be emotionally moved by this outstanding track as it is a gut-wrenching track to listen to. The band venture into sonic experimentation once again by adding more noises to their great sound.
 
Time to Flee is an acoustic guitar based track, which sees the band in reflective mood. It conveys the albums political mood even stronger as the band includes some hard-hitting lyrics for you to think about. What would you do in this instance? A thought provoking song from this brilliant and well-respected duo.
 
The band is in respective hard-hitting mood with I Lost My Guide and Mommy. Two songs that carry on the strong political impact of the bands musical odyssey they have created. The riffs here are tender and bittersweet with Nestor’s vocals tugging at your heartstrings yet again. The fuzz based riffs become heavier mainly on Mommy, which sees the band finally laying down some loud heavy epic riffs to rock out to.
 
We all know that The Beatles has played a big part with At Devil Dirt’s music as they are massive fans of the band. So it is no surprise they have included a brilliant cover of The Beatles classic – Across the Universe. Does it sound different to the original? Well Yes and No. It is still the same classic song as it ever was but At Devil Dirt has given it a modern makeover. Adding huge extra layers of fuzz that makes itself at home with the bands fuzz driven sound and the political based message they have included on this brilliant album.
 
So we only have one song left to check out and what a song to end this album on. There´s not a God or a Devil is probably the heaviest track on the album. Though the band have added a creepy occult rock effect to their sound now. It is a slow-burning affair that sees the band louder and angrier than ever before. Listen to the creepy lyrics and an even creepier piano that comes out of nowhere.  It is a brave decision to end the album on a creepy and sinister note but it actually works.
 
Plan B sees At Devil Dirt at their most dangerous and most creative. They had to do something different for their difficult 3rd album but they passed with flying colours. Plan B their best album to date. It might put some long-time fans off their music but give it time this album will be considered as a turning point in the bands career.
 
At Devil Dirt have outdone themselves here as Plan B is a bold statement from one of South America’s finest Stoner Rock bands. The album is simply unmissable. At Devil Dirt should be proud of this album. As it is going to enhance their reputation as one of Stoner Rock’s finest bands currently out there.
 
Brilliant and Highly Recommended.
 
Thanks to the band for sending us a copy to review. Plan B will be released digitally via BandCamp on Oct 30th 2013. CD and Vinyl Editions will be out later in the year.
 
Check The Band From Links Below