Review - DevilDriver - Beast

Metal behemoths DevilDriver, led by the powerhouse vocal stylings of veteran shit-kicker Dez Fafara, return to the fold with this aptly titled ditty, entitled, Beast.

Beast is without a doubt an ingenious title for this record, as it does exactly what it says on the tin, and describes the content quite vividly for the listener.

From the moment it starts, Beast is an unrelenting lesson in sonic brutality, and acts like a proverbial kick in the face for everything that metal music is. DevilDriver have a reputation as one of the most vicious and engaging live bands on the heavy metal circuit, and Beast was written, clearly, for the moshpit.

It is fucking heavy, and that is the ONLY way you can accurately describe it as a body of work (apologies for the frivolity and all that jazz).

From violent opener Dead To Rights, you get a feel for what the album is going to be like, and it is everything you would want, and expect, from a DevilDriver record. What is however quite apparent on this record, which may not be the case on other albums of theirs, is that the technical level and the abilities of the band members shine throughout, and stand supreme in their own right here, in spite of the domineering lyrical spit thrown out by Dez. The licks are there, the thrash is there, the drum beats are thunderous, and there is a sweet as solo thrown in, all for good measure. The groove laden guitar work is particularly impressive throughout, and as a collection, this is a Beast (pun intended) of an album.

For me it is probably a bit too long, clocking in at over an hour of heavy metal bashings, with most tracks being over 5 minutes in length. It would benefit from a culling of a few tracks, to make it shorter, and in many cases, the songs are one dimensional, and do sound a little samey.

What can’t be disputed though is the sheer force thrown out on this album, and the fact that mosh pits over the world will have the time of their lives getting some sweat on to Beast.

Personally – 6/10 – a little samey, and a bit too long, although a solid lesson in heavy metal
Overal – 8/10 - by heavy metal standards, this is a really good album, and everything you could ever want it to be.