Metal music brings a heavy punch

California heavy metal band DevilDriver are back with their 27th studio album Dealing With Demons I. DevilDriver’s musical style pops because the vocals and instrumentation scream heavy metal. Vocalist Dez Fafara is the only remaining original member of DevilDriver, and his voice impacts each track with an energetic vocal style. The guitar playing by Mike Spreitzer and Neal Tiemann is well done, with both guitarists playing clear-cutting riffs, while bassist Diego “Ashes” Ibarra rocks the background with vibrating notes and drummer Austin D’Amond scorches each piece with his fast-paced drumming style. DevilDriver brings the fire on Dealing With Demons I, and fans will not be disappointed with how the music sounds on this album.

Booming “Vengeance Is Clear” is a dynamic composition, and it’s incredible how strong Fafara’s voice sounds while he sings and shouts out the lyrics in an authoritative tone. The sound of Fafara shouting out the words brings deeper emotions because through the bombast, Fafara expresses how he wants to be free from being trapped inside his own mind, and how vengeance is the only way he can escape the darkness that surrounds him. “Vengeance is Clear” demonstrates how powerful Fafara’s vocals are, and his authoritative vocal sound lights up the whole composition.

The pounding “Wishing” has some great guitar playing by Spreitzer and Tiemann. At the beginning of the song, their playing blazes the atmosphere with a satisfying dose of stunning riffs that will jolt listeners’ hearts. The best part of this tune can be found in the middle, where Spreitzer delivers an ear-bleeding guitar solo that showcases his sheer talent. “Wishing” is filled with righteous guitar playing that will blow the minds of those who are listening.

The wild “Witches” has a catchy vibe largely due to the drum style D’Amond plays on the track. In metal music, the drum playing is an important part of the instrumentation because the crashing sounds of the drum sticks smacking the cymbals and drum heads create an enjoyable sound people want to hear. On this piece, the drum playing by D’Amond is sweet, played on an erratic musical tempo that will cause listeners to head-bang like crazy, and something particularly satisfying is how D’Amond adds a swift dose of rock drum beats on this piece. “Witches” is a fun track that has a wild style of fast drum playing.

The musically harmonic “Nest Of Vipers” is a well written piece by Fafara and Tiemann. The chorus, “The king’s sworn men make perfect liars/ She sleeps with bones beside her/ They found her body in a nest of vipers,” lyrically suggests that she is laying down in a dark and guilty gloom where she is lost in thought of how her loyalties were bought and sold. While the music blares from the speakers, it feels like Fafara and Tiemann want listeners to know how sad it is when stuck in an old mind set. The words on “Nest Of Vipers” have incredible meaning behind them, and Fafara and Tiemann do a great job at showing people who they are through their writing.

Finally, the righteous “The Damned Don’t Cry” is an amazing composition that has wonderful instrumentation. The guitar playing by Spreitzer, Tiemann and Ibarra is solid, with the vibrations from the riffs surging in the background with boldness, and D’Amond’s rhythmic drum playing shines. The instrumentation is phenomenal on “The Damned Don’t Cry” because it gives listeners a taste of what Spreitzer, Tiemann, Ibarra and D’Amond can do as professional musicians.

Dealing With Demons I is a great album, satisfying the need to hear worthy heavy metal music. DevilDriver have their feet on the gas pedal with this project, and it sounds like they won’t be stopping anytime soon.