We love Dez Fafara here, okay? Whether he’s getting his Nu-Metal on with the on again, off again (And on again this summer with Mudvayne on the road) Coal Chamber or raging with post-CC outfit DevilDriver and exploring whatever extremes he feels like in that band (Country! Black Metal!), know that we’re here for it. And we’re especially here for what seems like the year of the Dez with Coal Chamber reuniting for some live shows this summer along with DevilDriver releasing the anticipated follow-up to Dealing With Demons Vol. 1 following a co-headlining run with Cradle Of Filth.
But I digress.
“I Have No Pity” is probably the most solid opening track DevilDriver has put to tape since 2007’s The Last Kind Words. And that’s not a knock on what came in between but more a statement on the urgency with which “I Have No Pity” is hurled at yer earholes right from the start. The track and album as a whole are big on everything that make DevilDriver as great as they are with a picked opening that reminds us of Amorphis followed by some huge, chunky riffs from Mike Spreitzer and Alex Lee and an absolutely monstrous chorus.
Speaking of monstrous, “Mantra” keeps up the momentum with a shreddy follow-up that slays with Fafara sounding like a man possessed here and throughout Vol. II as drummer Davier Pérez and bassist Jon Miller deliver a fierce low end. “Nothing Lasts Forever” is a Groove Metal maelstrom while “Summoning” is spooky (But not Spooky-Core) as these eerie opening guitar lines conjure up old Black Sabbath feels before a pummeling riff monster rears its’ ugly head leaning into a mighty chorus.
Lead single “Through The Depths” is next level DevilDriver in that it’s what you’ve come to expect and also totally unexpected hitting fast and furious on their 10th album and 20 years into their career. “Bloodbath” has a little bit of an early DevilDriver vibe particularly the honed sound that The Fury Of Our Maker’s Hand oozed with, “It’s a Hard Truth” is another where the riffage from Lee and Spreitzer is just top notch on an album filled with them and then fans finally get a bit of a reprieve with the slowest track on Vol. II, “If Blood is Life”, which still manages to be one of the heaviest with a soaring chorus from Fafara surrounded by the gnarliest riffs and some sick solos giving off a Testament feel.
“The Relationship, Broken” is a frelling great album closer and a stark reminder of why DevilDriver is still as vital today as they were when they burst onto the Heavy Metal landscape in 2002 with a veritable onslaught of drums, guitars, and bass with Fafara at the lead for one last unrelenting ride on Vol. II.
Dealing With Demons Vol. II is out on May 12th through Napalm Records. Pre-orders are up now and can be perused and/or purchased in a variety of formats by clicking here. For the latest from DevilDriver, follow them across the information superhighway by heading here, here, or here.