Californian metallers Devildriver are back with their newest album, Winter Kills, and what an amazing onslaught of vicious riffs this is! The band’s brand new offering is their sixth and most diverse album to date, featuring eleven solid tracks that aren’t all full on in your face metal. Winter Kills offers listeners much more than any previous Devildriver album, the production is solid, and musically the band have crept into some new dimensions which stems from the large variety of influences they share collectively.
The album’s title track is solid, the double kick drum work is phenomenal and it’s one of the catchiest tunes this band has ever released. The album features a great array of tracks some of which will take listeners back in time, such as ‘Gutted’, a track which I compared to the likes of Mid-90’s Pantera. ‘Hunting Refrain’ is another of the killer tracks on the new album with great grooves. This track really packs a punch and the melodic guitar work is incredible.
There is no question that on album number six the band have certainly experimented more and it certainly works in their favour. The album features a great cover titled ‘Sail’. It is a track that’s been done differently to anything I would have expected from these guys, and that being said, I loved it. For me the one track that really stood out on the album is ‘The Appetite’. Starting off quite slow, mellow with one hell of a melodic build up, it quickly became my favourite track to listen to and it’s no doubt going to be a favourite amongst the fans!
The band are tight as hell and playing better than ever before on Winter Kills. Dez’s vocal ability really shines on the new album. His guttural vocals are perfect and he has stepped out of that box more on this album too, something that is easily embraced by the listener. The guitar work between Mike and Jeff on the new album is by far the best they have done together. You can tell they have been hard at work coming up with some incredible memorable material.
If you have never owned a Devildriver album and was wandering what one to add to your collection, this is it. This is the band’s best work to date, the most diverse and becoming the most played in my place as we speak! Head bangers and moshers will thoroughly enjoy the new album and will go crazy in the pit when some of these tracks are played live. This is a must have metal album of 2013.
Track-listing:
The Oath
Ruthless
Desperate Times
Winter Kills
The Appetite
Gutted
Curses and Epitaph’s
Caring’s Overkill
Haunting Refrain
Tripping Over Tombstone
Sail
Shudder (Bonus Track)
Back Down to the Grave (Bonus Track)
9/10
Reviewer: Cameron Edney
started listening to Devildriver when I was 12. I spent my free time in class blasting Digging Up The Corpses. I have 400 gigs of death metal and growing and hands down Devildriver is my favorite. While I respect many other bands such as Cannibal Corpses, Nile, and Deicide; Devildriver is my favorite. They are an in between of Death Metal and grunge rock IMO. There albums fluctuate which is good and Winter Kills is no exception. It sounds like the band spent 4 months in a room listening to thrash metal and melodic death metal then immediately wrote this album. Winter kills is heavier then Beast no doubt and more brutal and heavy while still maintaining the Devildriver sound that has been around since there self titled. It’s a far reach for Devildriver, but they pull it off extremely well. Any fan of Devildriver will not be disappointed, and those who are new to Devildriver with a more brutal taste should start with Winter Kills. Thecover of “Sail” by awolnation is arguable, but there is nothing better then blasting tthat song in the presence of modern day idiots with there ear buds down the shitter. And belive it or not it’s actually good. Overall Winter Kills is a stretch, but a good stretch that reminds us that diversity doesn’t mean awful. Change is good, and so is Winter Kills. I highly recommend this album as well as the other 5
killer review.