Review: Devil Driver – Pray For Villains

Sergio satisfies his “lust for brutal and unrelenting heaviness”.

Artist Name: Devil Driver
Album Name: Pray for Villains
Year: 2009
Genre: Metal

Let me start by saying that I’ve been relatively happy with the metal releases I’ve heard from Roadrunner Records this year. However, I have a certain lust for brutal and unrelenting heaviness like a fifteen-year-old girl has for MXit and underage drinking, which has gone somewhat unfulfilled for far too long.

Suddenly out of nowhere, Pray for Villains catches me by surprise and completely kicks my ass! It’s so fast and heavy – it makes me want to break my neighbour’s stuff! Just to prove that I’m not the only insane person on the planet, Pray for Villains sold 14 600 copies in its first week of release to debut at #35 on The Billboard 200 chart!

Producer Logan Mader really pushed the guys in studio and you can tell that they’ve stepped up their game, because the technicality in the dual guitar work is just awesome. Drummer John Boecklin is the backbone of the band, because his beats creates an infectious groove which makes windmill headbanging that more appealing. Finally, throw in Dez Fafara’s monstrous growls, and you have the soundtrack to Kerry King’s wedding day.

From the title track, ‘Pray for Villains’, it’s just pure mayhem. Devil Driver have done a couple of different things and you’ll pick it up on songs, such as the punk-inspired ‘Fate Has Stepped In’ and eerie ‘Resurrection Blvd’. Just be certain that you won’t find a love ballad on this album!

If you’re looking for groove-based metal with razor-sharp vocals, which is either a result of pent-up anger or twenty years worth of smoking, Pray for Villains is the only album for you. The freaking owl on the front cover is just so metal

Best Tracks: ‘Pray for Villains’, ‘Bitter Pill’ and ‘Forgiveness is a Six Gun’

87/100

- Sergio Pereira
sergio@musicreview.co.za

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