No apologies…
Released by Napalm Records on 13 May 2016 and reviewed by Stephen Brophy
As the monster awakes once again, a new DevilDriver album is unleashed on the world. Studio album number seven and their second release for Napalm Records, Trust No One takes up right where 2013’s Winter Kills left off. This is a band that never fails to stand up and slam you right in the face. There’s no apologies with the way they attack their task, this is a heavy album. There’s still an element of hardcore in Dez Fafara’s vocal delivery, but for me this adds to their overall sound and works well with the attitude of the band.
Opener ‘Testimony Of Truth’ picks you up and drops you right in the middle of the maelstrom and after the brief intro it’s like a sledgehammer. The bursting cutting riffs along with the vicious barked vocals stand out – and that’s pretty much how the rest of this slab of molten metal is laid out. One thing that strikes out when you listen to this band is that they have progressed on each release. Yes, there’s a ton of aggression through the music, vocals and overall feel on this album, but there’s also a lot of control here and everything is balanced. The drums aren’t one hundred miles an hour for the sake of it, just when the song needs it, and that’s the same with solos and some of the killer riffs.
Trust No One sees a band in full stride, the lead single ‘Daybreak’ is a prime example, there’s a great groove to it along with a great breakout section in the middle. That of course doesn’t last long and the title track absolutely rips along after the briefest of intros, the blasting drums and chopping riffs once again taking center stage. No idea why but ‘My Night Sky’ is the one track on this album that just doesn’t grab me. It’s certainly not a bad song, can’t quite put my finger on it, but maybe just doesn’t have quite the same bite as some of the other tracks.
When the band tour this album, do not miss the shows because this material is going to sound absolutely killer live. ‘This Deception’ is typical of the type of quality we find here, absolutely full of aggression. In places I’m reminded of bands like Terror but with a more metal approach of course, but I’ve always thought that DevilDriver must appeal musically to a lot of Hardcore fans. Each time I’ve seen this band live they have been better than the last time, constantly striving to bring something new to what they do. In what is already becoming another phenomenal year for rock and metal releases, this is another excellent album.
8.5 out of 10
Track list:
- Testimony Of Truth
- Bad Deeds
- My Night Sky
- This Deception
- Above It All
- Daybreak
- Trust No One
- Feeling Ungodly
- Retribution
- For What It’s Worth
