Author: Primož Novak
Artist: Devildriver
Label: Napalm Records
Release: 2013
Runtime: 49:19
Rating: 3/5
Devildriver have been through a few changes over the past two years. Longtime bassist Jonathan Miller had to go into rehab. The band also had to find a new label, since the legendary Roadrunner Records dropped most of its roster when it came under the Warner Music umbrella. And Devildriver found their refuge at Napalm Records.
Devildriver took more time than usual for Winter Kills, because staying innovative on a sixth studio album means you have to think hard about whether your ideas are still fresh. You could definitely say Devildriver have progressed over the course of their career. At least that’s how it felt on the third album, The Last Kind Words. Pray for Villains didn’t reach that level, but they redeemed themselves with Beast, which is undoubtedly the band’s most aggressive record. With Winter Kills they didn’t want to crank up the aggression of Beast any further. Instead, they aimed for more emphasis on groove while holding on to some degree of melody.
With Winter Kills, Devildriver kept all the traits that defined them across the previous five albums. The lyrics fit right in, built on Dez’s hatred of just about everything. Unfortunately, though, the songs themselves don’t stand out as much as they used to. There are a few interesting tracks, like Ruthless, whose Gojira-style groove proves that Devildriver follow the trends too. There’s less melody this time, which has pulled Devildriver away from metalcore; the closest thing to a metalcore element is in the song The Appetite. The band is flirting more with melodic death metal, which they’ve Americanized with their groovy thrash metal.
Despite the fairly unremarkable songs, Devildriver deserve credit for the originality of their cover of Awolnation’s Sail. Just like on the previous album, when they covered Black Soul Choir by 16 Horsepower, Devildriver did a great job reworking Sail by Awolnation in their own style. Honestly, we’d love to hear a whole covers album from them.
Winter Kills comes off a little reserved in the end. They stay consistent, sure, but the result is less expressive than before. There aren’t many standout riffs, drum parts, melodies or solos here. Fafara’s vocals also sound less angry than before. Maybe the producer choice is to blame, too, since Mark Lewis (The Black Dahlia Murder, Whitechapel) hasn’t really delivered any standout work so far. Devildriver stick to their punchy, melodic style for the sixth time running, but a little experimentation probably wouldn’t have hurt.
Lineup
Dez Fafara – vocals
Jeff Kendrick – guitar
John Boecklin – drums
Mike Spreitzer – guitar
Chris Towning – bass
Production
Mark Lewis
Track list
1. The Oath
2. Ruthless
3. Desperate Times
4. Winter Kills
5. The Appetite
6. Gutted
7. Curses and Epitaph’s
8. Caring’s Overkill
9. Hunting Refrain
10. Tripping Over Tombstones
11. Sail
12. Shudder (Bonus)
13. Back Down to the Grave (Bonus)
