DevilDriver reviewed
DevilDriver
The Last Kind Words
(Roadrunner)
Dez Fafara finally hits his stride, three records into his second career.
Few probably expected Fafara to have any significant impact on heavy metal after his former band, Coal Chamber, and the movement, nu-metal, it represented petered out. Fafara, though, was determined. He quickly put together DevilDriver, who released their self-titled debut in 2003. Hell bent on burying his nu-metal past, that album was nothing more than Fafara and his bandmates doing everything as fast, loud, and heavy as they could. The band tried to make 2005’s The Fury Of The Maker’s Hand more focused but were still too content with banging loudly on their instruments. This time, though, Fafara and co. get it. Songs like “When Summoned” and “Burning Sermon” have recognizable qualities, riffs, and vocal performances. Fafara has always had a gut-ripping growl, but on Kind Words, specifically the disc’s standout, “These Fighting Words,” he shows he has learned to control his voice — even occasionally letting off the gas pedal for a few seconds in order to rev back up again. More than anything, DevilDriver didn’t make another 12-track-that-feels-like-one-continuous-tune album. Kind Words doesn’t sacrifice any of the group’s signature heaviness, it is simply harnessed, resulting in the band’s most distinct group of songs yet.
– Trevor Fisher
