DevilDriver
The Last Kind Words

In 2003, Dez Fafara told Coal Chamber to go to hell and fell in love with heavy metal, practically renouncing everything he had done until that moment, which was being the frontman of a nu metal band inspired by (just to name one) Korn, with heavy nods to electronics, a look of industrial glamsters from the 2000s, and a psychopathic attitude.

Now, discussing what role (more or less important) Coal Chamber had in the metal scene in the late '90s and early 2000s would be pathetic and pointless since few miss that band (and I am absolutely not among those) and since even Dez doesn't speak of it in nostalgic tones, quite the opposite. Dez Fafara is a new man, and more importantly, since that same year (2003), Dez Fafara has a new band.

New in every aspect, especially in terms of sound and path chosen. Sure, DevilDriver’s debut, their self-titled album, still retained some nu metal residue, but from the second album "The Fury Of Our Maker's Hand" Dez and company embarked on a path, not exactly original, but equally convincing, with a fiery cocktail of melodic death metal and thrashcore bursts with the (almost inevitable) abandonment of the old vocal timbre in favor of a powerful growl alternating with a scream.

In 2007, after the, let's call it "break-in" period with the first two albums, the band released an album "The Last Kind Words" appreciated from every point of view, from the granite riffs to the solos (this time many more than before) with melodic flavor passing through the more properly thrash-death rhythms. The main points of reference for these DevilDriver? Definitely Slayer (always to be praised) and canonical thrash, a bit of the whole thrashcore (Machine Head, Fear Factory without the industrial element, Pantera, to name a few) but also In Flames and Swedish death metal and here and there some references to the metalcore movement (but don't worry, no sappy melodic choruses).

In short, there's a lot on the table, right from the initial "Not All Who Wander Are Lost" which stands as a declaration of intent, a truly "in your face" assault. The Pantera-like riff of "Clouds Over California," "Burning Sermon," and the damn groove of "Monsters Of the Deep" are definitely among the best (and most "immediate") tracks, while the Swedish-oriented "Bound By The Moon" and "Horn Of Betrayal" are a bit less convincing, although we're still dealing with enjoyable songs; epic, majestic, and decidedly above average is "These Fighting Words," particularly engaging in the chorus, breathless "Tirades of Truth" (where young Simon Fafara makes an appearance on backing vocals) and "Head On To Heartache" (the latter with a pressing rhythm), decent is "When Summoned".

Grand finale with "The Axe Shall Fall" with an interesting melodic ending (complete with Hammond organ) as if to tell the faint-hearted "don't worry, the storm is over".

If you haven't already, buy the latest DevilDriver album, 11 truly valuable songs expressions of a now mature band capable of making excellent records like this one.

Rating: 8/10