At Devil Dirt is a Fuzz/Stoner/Sludge Rock Band from Chile
The members are
Néstor "Gato" Ayala (Guitar/Vocals)
Francisco "Hongo" Alvarado (Drums)
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
