ALBUM REVIEW: Devil To Pay - "A Bend Through Space and Time"

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 12/08/2016

Label: Ripple Music

Simply put, this album slays. It delivers on all levels. The band know that hell awaits down the line, but they are having a great time on the way. Life affirming stuff.

“A Bend Through Space and Time” CD//DD//LP track listing: 

1. On and On (in your mind)
2. Don’t Give Away the World
3. Kobold in the Breadbasket
4. Laughingstock
5. The Meaning of Life
6. Recommended Daily Dosage
7. Knuckledragger
8. Kerfuffle
9. Your Inner Lemmy
10. the Demons Come Home to Roost

The Review:

Devil To Pay hail from Indianapolis, the Midwestern city that spawned The Gates of Slumber- but this album is a different proposition. The record is at the stoner end of the doom spectrum; that is to say that the sounds here have as much in common with Orange Goblin or Fu Manchu as they do with Sleep. The groovy “On and On (In Your Mind)” sets out the band's stall with some propulsive riffs and deft drumming- good vocal, solid work all around. “Don't Give Away The World” continues building on this foundation; a rumbling groove is complimented by a great mix in which the bass rumbles and runs with Butler-esque precision.

The downtuned riffage does not stop there and the band shows another more restrained mood through “Kobold In The Breadbasket”, which has a trippy quality. The rhythm sections works very well throughout the album- the intro to “The Meaning of Life” highlights its' lock-tight precision (nice cymbal chokes, too). The band can burn rubber when necessary- witness “Recommended Daily Dosage” for proof.

“Knuckledragger” sounds as you might expect from the title and includes the album's title in the lyrics (listen out). The band's knack with song titles continues with “Kerfuffle”, which is a head nodder of a tune, and the titles reach a peak with “Your Inner Lemmy”, which possesses all the swagger of Motorhead in any era- a raging badass of a track! It is a fine tribute to the great man's approach to life and knocks Metallica's plodding “Murder One” right out of the ring.

After this rip roaring ride through the stoner rock universe, “The Demons Come Home to Roost” is an epic finisher. Close to eight minutes of dynamically shifting tempos, metallic crunch and powerhouse performances. Simply put, this album slays. It delivers on all levels. The band know that hell awaits down the line, but they are having a great time on the way. Life affirming stuff.

“A Bend Through Space and Time” is available here

Band info: facebook || bandcamp