ROCKET REVIEW: DEVILDRIVER – “Pray For Villains” (CD)

Santa Barbara, California (USA) musical act DEVILDRIVER have delivered one seriously monster effort with their fourth studio release entitled “Pray For Villains”, proving that they are indeed the greatest groove metal band going in the world of modern heavy music. This album takes the act’s signature ‘hammer-to-the-head’ song structures and usage of perfectly blended in melodic riffs to a whole new level, finally showing a greater sense of ‘maturity’ in their material overall – something that’s not won so easy, even with a lineup that has as much talent among its members.

Drummer John Boecklin is clearly the most valuable player throughout all thirteen tracks, unleashing an unmerciful blast-beat explosiveness from the opening title track “Pray For Villains” onward. The ensuing songs that hit me in the skull the hardest here are the utterly crushing “Pure Sincerity”, “I’ve Been Sober”, and “Bitter Pill”, demonstrating exactly why producer Logan Mader (FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, GOJIRA, CAVALERA CONSPIRACY) has now become one of the industry’s finest.

Lead vocalist Dez Fafara displays a more complete vocal range here than ever before and says it best with the first set of lyrics on the highly-combustible “Pure Sincerity“: ‘Dying is easy, it’s living that is hard’, speaking in wisdom to the misguided and troubled youth of today, who need to stop with the worshipping Satan psycho-babble once and for all, while living at home with mommy and daddy. This reviewer demands them to stop being led by glorified musicians that spout off about their hate for Christ from behind their face paint and studded wrist bands purchased at Hot Topic. Fafara himself – the oldest member of the group at 43 – has quit the hard partying and negative living, so that through his music he can more effectively reach those people who desperately need to be delivered to a better way of thinking in life.

Storm

ROCKET REVIEW:

[starreview tpl=16]

DEVILDRIVER – “Pray For Villains” (CD)

(Roadrunner Records/2009)

1. Pray For Villains
2. Pure Sincerity
3. Fate Stepped In
4. Back With A Vengeance
5. I’ve Been Sober
6. Resurrection Blvd.
7. Forgiveness Is A Six Gun
8. Waiting For November
9. It’s In The Cards
10. Another Night In London
11. Bitter Pill
12. Teach Me To Whisper
13. I See Belief

http://www.devildriver.com/