Santa Barbara, California based heavy metal band DevilDriver have announced the first half of a double album, Dealing With Demons I, that is set to be released on October 9 of this year. Additionally, the band released the album’s lead single, “Keep Away From Me,” along with a socially relevant music video.

The song begins slow and quietly to draw the listener in before violently exploding onto the scene, much like the coronavirus pandemic the song and video allude to. The video mixes the messages of the song with hospital footage and snippets taken from news stations, as the lyrics reflect the band’s disdain for the period of social isolation we are currently living in. The drumming is technically immaculate, and the guitar and bass playing all line up perfectly with the complex rhythmic figures presented. The song is a powerful first statement for the double album, and one that uniquely captures a darker moment of history.

“I’ve been social distancing since I was born. I’ve learned to try and embrace my Agoraphobia all my life. This is what the lyrics are about as we are all sheltered in place,” said DevilDriver frontman Dez Fafara on the song and video. “They seem very clear. Now is not the time bands should shy away from the obvious by trying to push the narrative through their art as if everything is alright with the world and ‘it’s metal video visual as usual time’, as it is clearly NOT that time.”

The process of making the double album has taken a significant amount of time, as DevilDriver completed the recording sessions for the album more than a year ago, in April of 2019. The album will be the most recent since the band released Outlaws ‘Til The End Vol. 1 in July of 2018.

Check out the cover art, track list and merchandise for Dealing With Demons I below: