DevilDriver : "Dealing with Demons VOL. II"

The post- Coal Chamber band of Dez Fafara , continues to rumble on. Having distanced themselves from his nu-metal past, despite the looming Coal Chamber reunion, the band keeps their distance with grooving thrash. The first song is a powerful modern metal anthem, that picks up where Pantera left off. The band's tenth album finds them just as polished as what you would expect a band of their tenure to be. "Mantra" is not as catchy as the opening track. "Nothing Lasts Forever" and "Summoning" find the uniformity of their sound beginning to work against them as they feel a little to similar as the main variation is in what he is chanting. They break things up a bit with more nuanced guitar playing in" Through the Depths" but Fafara's vocal approach does not switch up that much. 

It is amazing that Dez has had such a long career, as he is vocally pretty much a one trick pony. This might be further exaggerated on the way he approaches these songs. "Bloodbath" manages to find a groove despite. The weight of the songs lies on the guitars . He might come closest to singing to "It's a Hard Truth" , but  it is not as interesting as the previous song, as head banging grooves are pretty much all these guys have going for them. I guess if you are a fan of these guys then that is all you are expecting from them in the first place. There is something dirty in a street tough way about their sound, that sound like hard core for alcoholics, but these guys are not dark. Lyrically it sounds like a bunch of hard times platitudes. 

"If Blood is Life" is uncertain in it's message. The guitar melodies are mixed behind the barrage of vocals. There are enough guitar solos to appease a metal head who does not play guitar. They are of professional level proficiency, not going to wow players who are into who ever the shredders of the day are, I could have told you as a teenager, but cared less about that kind of stuff as I have gotten older. The album ends with what has been the first single off the album. It does not really go into anywhere they other songs have not already been. It works of a syncopated stomp. The songs do flow well but to my ears they all begin to sound the same so for that reason I will give this album an 8.