ALBUM REVIEW: Dealing With Demons I – DevilDriver

DEVILDRIVER‘s 2016 effort Trust No One was such a return to form, that you almost questioned where they could go next. Littered with line up changes and momentum stalls – the Californians found quality in adversity. Dealing With Demons I is an ideal next step. If it’s predecessor was a brash comeback, then this double album is set to be a bold successor. Part one of the double punch finds the band where you’d expect them. Though with that said – we’ve seldom heard vocalist Dez Fafara this open.

Of course, the record is propped up by an aggro backbone though. Despite its occasional lyrical fragility, there’s no trade off when it comes to intensity. And if anything, the opening salvo of Keep Away From Me and Vengeance Is Clear are as confrontational as the five piece have ever been. Slabs of multi layered rhythm surround vitriolic growls – it’s nice to know classic DEVILDRIVER still lives.

The title track and Nest Of Vipers eagerly nod at the bands peak, too. That slick, yet brutal level of groove that the quintet have maintained throughout their entire career remains ever present on Dealing With Demons I. Guitarists Mike Spreitzer and Neal Tiemann‘s riff trade offs are technically star gazing. The Damned Don’t Cry has the kind of shapeshifting tempo that pits the two as brothers in arms too: Spreitzer‘s chord bending solo wouldn’t sound as picturesque without Tiemann‘s acidic rhythm.

Hearing Fafara put himself under the microscope on Scars Me Forever and You Give Me A Reason To Drink is refreshing, too. Though the latter falls too far into modern THREE DAYS GRACE for comfort, and is undoubtedly the worst song Dealing With Demons I has to offer. The former is much more serviceable, its melancholic opening has a textural fade away, but remains prevalent in the form of Fafara‘s cynical, yet captivating presence.

You could argue the biggest challenge for DEVILDRIVER from here is justifying the need for Dealing With Demons to be a double effort. Part two of the venture doesn’t exactly have unassailable heights to reach, but if it is a continuation of what’s on offer here: you’re bound to wonder why the highlights of both weren’t merged into one, stronger effort. Crystal balls aside though – DEVILDRIVER continue to be one of the few bands from the new wave of American heavy metal that haven’t creatively nosedived with age.

Rating: 7/10

Dealing With Demons I is set for release on October 2nd via Napalm Records.

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