DevilDriver: Winter Kills – new album

 

DEVILDRIVER's sixth studio album, ‘Winter Kills’, is out now, August 27th, 2013, on Napalm Records. I personally wouldn’t mind one wintery day to break up this Middle-Eastern heat, but then who am I to argue with the band's legendary frontman Dez Fafara whom the label respectfully addresses:

“DEVILDRIVER overlord Dez Farara will readily acknowledge the basic tenet of heavy metal is to achieve the essence of power and complete freedom. At the most base level, it’s a concept that can manifest itself in the form of a high-speed joyride or defeating one's antagonists, be they Frank Frazetta [an American fantasy and science-fiction artist]-rendered warriors or the guy/girl who was looking at your lover too long at the biker bar and now has a concussion and a collection of broken pool cues. On DEVILDRIVER's sixth release, ‘Winter Kills’, the band certainly didn’t skimp on the riffage, the idling-dragster tempos or the sheer sonic drive that makes them one of heavy music's respected outfits. ‘Winter Kills’ is all about the creation of flashover moments to empower people with hope and affirmation  or at the very least, the inspiration for people to create great work and engineer their own meaningful universes. This ain’t no tired Tony Robbins [I suppose an American life coach and motivational speaker] posi-posturing or Joel Osteen's [Wiki says he is an American preacher and televangelist] cartoony, cash-and-Christ posing. The world got more oppressive, and DEVILDRIVER are stepping up their game to keep hope alive in the most bone-powdering, cochlea-bleeding, neck-snapping way possible.”

‘Winter Kills’, the band's first album to feature new bassist Chris Towning, was recorded with producer Mark Lewis at Audio Hammer Studios in Sanford, Florida. It expects your order here (Napalm Records store), here (DEVILDRIVER store) and on iTunes and Amazon:

DEVILDRIVER was formed in 2002 in Santa Barbara, California when COAL CHAMBER vocalist Dez Fafara hooked up with guitarists Evans Pitts and Jeffery Kendrick, bassist Jon Miller and drummer John Boecklin. The band released their self-titled debut album through Roadrunner Records in 2003 to mixed and even negative response by music critics. Guitarist Mike Spreitzer replaced Evan Pitts on DEVILDRIVER's second effort, 2005's ‘The Fury Of Our Maker's Hand’, which fared much better with the listening public and music critics alike, and which entered the American chart Billboard Top 200 chart at number 117. In 2006, ‘The Fury Of Our Maker's Hand’ was re-released to include three new studio tracks and three live recordings. DEVILDRIVER's third album, ‘The Last Kind Words’, followed in 2007 to debut at number 48 on the Billboard Top 200:

“DEVILDRIVER is a 100 percent metallic beast that has more in common with thrash/extreme metal than all those unbearable “eyeliner metal bands”. There’s not anything all that much different going on here when compared to all the other acts from the current metal crop. Nothing fancy - just an extreme metal roar that hits you right between the eyes, which may have been DEVILDRIVER's goal all along,” [AllMusic's Greg Prato finally admitted – more here]

The band's fourth full-length, 2009's ‘Pray For Villains’,  charted even higher; it peaked at number 35 on the Billboard Top 200, with first week sales U.S. of 14,600 copies. It was depicted as “quality metal that impacts like a billion left hooks to the jaw” by Amy Sciarretto, Ultimate Guitar. In 2011 came DEVILDRIVER's final release on Roadrunner Records and their last album to feature longtime bassist Jon Miller; ‘Beast’ had entered the Billboard Top 200 chart at number 42 (selling over 11,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release) and had even debuted on UK Albums Chart at number 51:

“Although he was once the leader of makeup-wearing nu metallists COAL CHAMBER, singer/screamer Dez Fafara has opted to keep things 100 percent aggro/extreme metal with DEVILDRIVER,” [felt somewhat surprised again Greg Prato, AllMusic]. DEVILDRIVER's roster consists mainly of dudes with long stringy hair, manly-man facial hair, and tattoos - and, unsurprisingly, the group's music goes hand in hand with its look throughout ‘Beast’, as the album is a nonstop barrage of screaming, growling, riffing, and rat-a-tat-tat drumming. … However, for those who like excuse-free metal cranked to ten from beginning to end, DEVILDRIVER have assembled one gnarly ‘Beast’ for you.” [More here:]

DEVILDRIVER features: Dez Fafara – vocals, Mike Spreitzer – guitar, Jeff Kendrick – guitar, John Boecklin – drums and Chris Towning – bass