(CD/LP, Napalm Records, 2026)
After confronting their inner demons across the two “Dealing With Demons” albums, DEVILDRIVER have shifted their attention outward. Perhaps the band recognized the strength that comes from acknowledging their losses, tending to their wounds, and emerged with renewed energy on “Strike And Kill”. This is the kind of album that not only sounds great and carries powerful lyrics, but can also serve as a megaphone for everything that has been bubbling inside you. It is time to take a firm stance and strike back.
Album opener “Dig Your Own Grave” shows its intentions from the get-go. Dez Fafara growls “Get to digging” and unleashes DEVILDRIVER’s trademark Groove Metal sound. The guitar riffs and electronic touches during the chorus reminded me of “The Last Kind Words”, the album that introduced me to the band’s in-your-face kind of Metal. The screams, breakdowns, and occasional double-bass outbursts feel like caffeine injected straight into the brain, making you feel empowered. “Dead In The Water” picks up the ferocity of the opener, with the snare drum and riffs calling for moshing while Dez urges action to avoid being “dead in the water”. That action can be anything: stopping whatever prevents you from improving yourself, your living conditions, or your mental health. Pick a fight and face the problem headfirst, because inertia is never the ideal course of action.
There is a strong thread connecting the lyrics, while the music intensifies the message they carry and turns it into a statement. “Sanctified In Scars” is about realizing that all hardships have made you stronger, and that you are now ready to fight back even harder. I love the catchy chorus, especially the line “carved from sermons left to rust”, and the headbanging break that follows “I’ve been dragged through hell”. Based on the lyrics, I would say “Sanctified In Scars” fits the album’s cover artwork even better than “Strike And Kill”, as the hyena wears its scars the same way Metalheads wear patches and pins.
On the other hand, “Strike And Kill” lives in the same mentality with the opening lyric “Some motherfuckers got it so easy they never learn the hard way,” carrying all the energy that bursts through the fast drumming, Thrash riffs, and MACHINE HEAD-esque grooviness. The guitar slides, bass sound, and blast-beat drum action at the end pave the way for the emotional “In The Moonlight”. At least during the opening verse, Dez uses his clean voice to support the emotional gravity of this excellent song. The transition from clean to harsh vocals goes hand in hand with music that explodes with killer riffs and pounding drums. I would never have imagined wanting to scream “in the moonlight” along with Dez, fist in the air, before headbanging to the main riff. The galloping rhythm during the chorus is impossible to resist, and since Dez uses his clean voice, it may be a tad easier to sing along. The contrast between emotion and aggression is what makes this the album’s highlight, although I may adjust that statement later on…
“Ride Or Die” dives deep into early DEVILDRIVER heaviness, “Headed For The Fall” writes groove in bold letters, and the oxymoronic “Shut The Silence On” makes me reconsider the album’s highlight title. To me, the song carries the same attitude that made “The Last Kind Words” hit so hard, combining full-blown headbanging force with lyrics that draw a clear line in the sand: the talking is over. It also made me realize how much I had missed DEVILDRIVER’s steamroller momentum, the kind that makes you feel indestructible. It's like having unyielding support to withstand anything. “Never Coming Home” maintains the intensity at Thrash levels, with the guitars adding enough melody to make the chorus inviting for another sing-along. The Spanish-tinged clean guitar break intensifies the massive breakdown that follows, complete with some SLAYER-esque leads.
That Spanish flair bleeds into “Summoning Shadows”, where DEVILDRIVER take a step back from the attack to regroup and regain all the energy depleted so far. The clean vocals dominate the song and build the tension leading to the massive “as the sun goes down” conclusion. The feeling of losing your footing, but only for a short time before returning stronger, is very present, even though the song is eight seconds shy of three minutes.
DEVILDRIVER could easily have ended the album with “Summoning Shadows”, but apparently, they were on a songwriting roll. “You’re Just A Ghost”, the bass-drum galore of “Oath Of Iron”, and the massive “All Bets Are Off” feed from old DEVILDRIVER, but with a newfound freshness that showcases a lineup that feels locked in.
“Strike And Kill” is a massive album for DEVILDRIVER, and it feels like hitting the 'reset' button. Not to start from zero, but to recognize the band's twenty-three-year trajectory and explode forward with Thrash energy and lyrics that burn.
10/10
“Time for me to set it off
ALL BETS ARE OFF!”
Links:
www.FaceBook.Com/DevilDriver
www.Instagram.Com/DevilDriver
Tracklist:
01. Dig Your Own Grave
02. Dead In The Water
03. Sanctified In Scars
04. Strike And Kill
05. In The Moonlight
06. Ride Or Die
07. Headed For The Fall
08. Shut The Silence On
09. Never Coming Home
10. Summoning Shadows
11. You're Just A Ghost
12. Oath Of Iron
13. All Bets Are Off
Lineup:
Jon Miller - Bass
Dez Fafara - Vocals
Davier Pérez - Drums
Alex Lee - Guitars
Gabe Mangold - Guitars