### Devildriver: Pray for villains

#### 04/01/10 || HailandKill

Hate them as much as you want, what can’t be denied Devildriver is the band’s ability to write memorable songs (on occasion). To our endless delight, their newest begins with a powerful opening salvo that’s all nipples. What HailandKill means by ‘nipples’ is the excellent groovesome guitars and rumbling percussion on the hammering title track. Too bad matters get royally fucked on the second song… and the third.. then the sky clears a bit and the band are again in fine form for “Back With A Vengeance”. It’s fucken annoying hearing how much the quintet have grown—which is a good thing indeed—only to endure their less stellar material between cum-in-you-ears musical gems such as “Resurrection Boulevard” and “Forgiveness Is A Six Gun.”

This is what’s biting HailandKill in the arse about Devildriver these days. He loves this “Pray for Villains” to bits (and the last record as well), but it’s tough love given the musical warts blemishing the present album. “Bitter Pill”? “Teach Me To Whisper”? “I See Belief”? And what the fuck is going on with the crapload of bonus tracks? They actually sound BETTER than the filler. Excepting the horrible Iron Maiden cover (Dez Fafara puking out the lyrics of “Wasted Years”), the unofficial tracklist extension wins out over half the official songs here.

Musically, Devildriver are tight as a condom wrapped around an erect phallus. A terrible comparison that, except the next best thing HailandKill could think of has to do with assholes and his hemorrhoids. Any-hoo, might as well relish the increasingly overweight Dez Fafara’s usual snarls n’ barks cuz the MOFO never sings clean. Yet its the backing band who’re the champions here. Axemen Mike Speitzer and Jeff Kendrick take you from behind and in the mouth with massive hooks, Godzilla-sized riffs, and spot on soloing. As for the rhythm section, it’s drummer John Boecklin who’s the ultimate badass if he really pedaled the songs here barefoot like on the “Pray for Villains” video.

In a nutshell, half of “Pray for Villains” is jaw dropping, moshable, pants creaming ecstasy while the rest are filler. Now we’re sure Devildriver have many wonders in store for the human race considering the absolute power of their current material. Unfortunately the spirit of lackluster-ness continues to haunt the band’s quest for immortality.

- Information
- Released: 2009
- Label: Roadrunner
- Website: www.devildriver.com
- Band
- Dez Fafara: vocals
- Mike Spreitzer: guitar
- Jeff Kendrick: guitar
- Jon Miller: bass
- John Boecklin: drums

- Tracklist
- 01. Pray for Villains
- 02. Pure Sincerity
- 03. Fate Stepped In
- 04. Back With A Vengeance
- 05. I’ve Been Sober
- 06. Resurrection Boulevard
- 07. Forgiveness Is A Six Gun
- 08. Waiting for November
- 09. It’s In The Cards
- 10. Another Night In London
- 11. Bitter Pill
- 12. Teach Me To Whisper
- 13. I See Belief bonus tracks
- 14. Self Affliction
- 15. Dust Be They Destiny
- 16. Damning The Heavens
- 17. Wasted Years