DevilDriver has always been a band on a three-pronged mission: Work hard, rock harder, and kick as many asses as possible in the process.
Since first forming in 2003, the Santa Barbara metal quintet has stuck resolutely to this mission, even though it’s often meant traveling a rougher, less glamorous road than most musicians would prefer to endure. Rather than cashing in on the popularity of his previous successes, frontman Dez Fafara insisted from the get-go that DevilDriver should not only forge their own unique sound, but should also start at the proverbial bottom of the bill and work their way up through endless touring, earning the music world’s respect one fan at a time.
“I get that hard-working attitude from my father,” says Dez. “I believe in gnawing at the bit, you know? It’s taken its toll on us, sure — but hard work, road work and belief in ourselves is what we’re based on.”
Pray For Villains, DevilDriver’s gut-punching new album, is clearly the culmination of that endless hard work and unconquerable self-belief. Having honed their powerful sound over the course of three previous albums — 2003’s self-titled debut, 2005’s The Fury of Our Maker’s Hand and 2007’s The Last Kind Words — and countless live dates (including their legendary Download appearance in 2007, where the band’s ferocious performance triggered what many believe to be the largest circle pit in history), the band is now operating at a higher level than ever before.
“For us, it’s been a constant growth, musically,” Dez explains. “Not only in terms of finding out how to write together, but in figuring out what a good DevilDriver song is. Every single record has been a progression, and we approached everything the same way as we’ve always done, but it clicked really hard on this record. This is the defining sound of what we are, and where we’re going to go in the future.”
Produced by former Machine Head/Soulfly guitarist Logan Mader (who has previously manned the controls for the Cavalera Conspiracy, Divine Heresy and Five Finger Death Punch), Pray For Villains finds DevilDriver rocking as brutally as ever, with the rhythm section of drummer John Boecklin and bassist Jon Miller pummeling the listener into submission while the guitar tag-team of Jeff Kendrick and Mike Spreitzer lets fly with one nasty riff and incendiary solo after another, and Dez truly howls like a man possessed. The album is both more technical and more straightforward than anything DevilDriver has done in the past, but there’s also an additional emphasis on groove, dynamics and song-craft.
“We decided not to go even more brutal, more heavy, more screamy, more fast than last time, because we’ve already proved we can do that,” says Dez. “There’s a lot more groove going on, a lot more dynamics. The guitar work is amazing —some of the solos absolutely blow me away — and the drumming is un-fucking-real. There’s gonna be kids in their basements trying to learn this shit forever. Yet we also said, ‘Let’s not only bring groove into this, but let’s bring hooks, and let’s write better songs.’ We didn’t dial it down at all, but we wanted to add some substance to it, as well.”
Lyrically and thematically, the album’s rampaging title track pretty much sums up where Dez is coming from on Pray For Villains. Inspired by his love of Western films, the song is about “how you put all your eggs in one basket, and you bet on the hero — but it’s actually the bad-ass villain who comes in and saves the day,” he explains. “I love Westerns, especially the ones with Clint Eastwood; I like the anti-heroes, rather than the John Wayne kind of guys. I was thinking that in those films, just like in real life, it usually takes a fucking bad-ass to come in and do the job — and that’s usually not the guy in white with the shiny gun. A lot of these songs, including ‘Resurrection Blvd.,’ ‘In The Cards’ and ‘Forgiveness Is A Six-Gun,’ are definitely influenced by that.”
Themes of self-reliance, hard work and positive energy also run through tracks like “I See Belief,” “Pure Sincerity” and “Back With A Vengeance,” all of which reflect both the scars and the hard-won accomplishments of DevilDriver’s first half-decade. “I’m not a nihilistic dude,” Dez explains. “The line,‘I see belief when no one else does’ — a lot of people are so negative about things, saying, ‘Oh, that will never work,’ or ’We’ll never get that tour,’ or ‘We’ll never get to that place’ but I’m just not that guy. Call it stupidity or blind luck,” he laughs, “but I’ve got a feel for what’s going to happen with this band. I believe in the motivation and upward mobility of this band, as well as the movement and the bond that we’re creating between our fans and us. I want to bring that positivity through the power of metal and say to people, ‘Hey, keep your head up/Get your head out of the sand’— take a breath of fresh air, try to be positive about life, and move through it with strength, power and belief in yourself.”
Of “Pure Sincerity,” Dez reveals, “That’s for when people ask, ‘What’s DevilDriver about?’ Well, listen to ‘Pure Sincerity’: ‘Give ‘em what they want/Give ‘em what they need/Pure Sincerity’. That’s all it’s ever been, from the time we started making music — giving them what we feel is our music, and not trying to follow any kind of trend.”
“Back With a Vengeance” is a howl of triumph, a musical victory lap for a band that many critics discounted or disregarded, at least until DevilDriver’s ever-increasing fanbase and reputation for consistently punishing live shows became simply too much to ignore. “That song’s about looking yourself in the mirror and going, ‘Yep, that’s right, we’re kicking ass like I always knew we would be,’” Dez explains. “Don’t ever count any motherfucker out in life. It may have taken a record or three to get it through everybody’s heads, but now it’s obvious. And on ‘Back With A Vengeance,’ I’m actually giving myself a minute to step back and look at DevilDriver and go, ‘Holy shit, we all built this thing together — and it’s a monstrous machine!’”
To no one’s surprise, DevilDriver will be taking that monstrous machine on the road for the rest of 2009, and probably beyond. (The band’s innate affinity for touring is reflected on the new tracks “I’ve Been Sober” and “Another Night In London.”) “We need to travel,” says Dez. “So we’re booked through Christmas ‘09; we’re going all over the world, and we’re not coming home. Our schedule is so rigorous, it’s unreal — sometimes even I don’t know why I put myself through it — but I love the road. I love my family, but I can’t sit home for more than two weeks,” he laughs. “I think time for me at home is wasted right now. I’m still young enough to go out and do my thing.”
“You have to love what you do,” Dez concludes. “We love to play together as a band, we love to be onstage, and we love to deliver our music to people live. We’ve always said that’s been part of the mission — and if you’re gonna talk it, you’ve gotta walk it.”
03/07/2009 - THIS WEEKS TOP NEWS AND MEDIA Its been another busy week here on the news front here at Roadrunner HQ! We released The AMANDA PALMER DVD and the brand new offering ... 03/07/2009 - WHAT'S ON YOUR IPOD- MARK MELICIA (THE PARLOR MOB) This week sees THE PARLOR MOB's vocalist Mark Melicia take the iPod challenge. Some pretty interesting tracks here... Genius Next Door by Regina Spektor This ... 02/07/2009 - ASK THE ARTIST- DEZ (DEVILDRIVER)- THE ANSWERS We recently gave you the opportunity to put YOUR questions to Dez Fafara from DEVILDRIVER and we got a ruck of emails in with some ... 02/07/2009 - THE METAL HAMMER GOLDEN GODS FEAT. TRIVIUM AND DEVILDRIVER HITS SCREENS SATURDAY! As ever there were TV cams at this years Metal Hammer Golden God Awards and we just got word of when you will be able ... 01/07/2009 - KERRANG AWARD NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED PLUS KILLSWITCH ENGAGE ADORN THEIR COVER! It's well worth investing a few of your earth pounds in Kerrang magazine this week as our very own KILLSWITCH ENGAGE adorn th 30/06/2009 - ASK THE ARTIST- HERMAN FROM DRAGONFORCE He's the God of Shred! He's a martial arts expert! He's Herman Li from the legendary DRAGONFORCE! And he as said he is more than ... 30/06/2009 - RR UK SPEAK TO DEZ AND JON FROM DEVILDRIVER The day after the Metal Hammer Golden Gods, DEVILDRIVER played Oxford Academy, and so we took the opportunity to sit down with them, post all ... 26/06/2009 - THIS WEEKS TOP NEWS!! Who put the week on fast forward?? It's freakin'Friday once again. Oh, hang on- THAT'S A GOOD THING! And here, as ever are the top ... 26/06/2009 - DEVILDRIVER ANNOUNCE PRE-RELEASE ONLINE ALBUM PREMIER DEVILDRIVER will premier their new album PRAY FOR VILLAINS in a UK online exclusive with GET CLOSER the week prior to the albums 26/06/2009 - WHAT'S ON YOUR IPOD- DAVE PYBUS (CRADLE OF FILTH) We have set another band member the weekly iPod shuffle challenge in an effort to uncover some guilty pleasures, and we think this time we ... 25/06/2009 - CALL THAT A CIRCLE PIT? NA DUDE- *THIS* IS A CIRCLE PIT! DEVILDRIVER. Download 2009. Circle pits to end ALL circle pits. Nothing more to say really. A picture (or in this case a video) paints a ... 24/06/2009 - DEVILDRIVER ANNOUNCE OCTOBER UK TOUR DATES DEVILDRIVER, the circlepit kings who slayed the Download Festival last weekend with their incendiary main stage set, return to the UK for a short batch ... 23/06/2009 - CHECK OUT DEVILDRIVER'S NEW VIDEO AND A BRAND NEW TRACK Metal Hammer recently revealed the first video to be cut from the upcoming metal opus from DEVILDRIVER- PRAY FOR VILLAINS. 19/06/2009 - WHAT'S ON YOUR IPOD- JON MILLER (DEVILDRIVER) When they were in the UK recently we sat down with Jon, bassist with Download pit-masters DEVILDRIVER and got him to shiffle his iPod and ... 18/06/2009 - SEE THE NEW VIDEO FROM DEVILDRIVER- THIS IS PRAY FOR VILLAINS Anyone who was at Download or the Metal Hammer Golden Gods will know that the new track they heard from So Cal boys DEVILDRIVER, the ... 17/06/2009 - ASK THE ARTIST- DEZ FROM DEVILDRIVER DEVILDRIVER are set to release their new album PRAY FOR VILLAINS on JULY 13th and we have no doubt that fans of the band have ... 11/06/2009 - DOWNLOAD STAGE TIMES! PLUS SEE HOW YOU CAN GET THE BACKSTAGE GOSSIP!! It's almost time people!! Tomorrow DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL 2009 kicks off and this year, Roadrunner UK has a staggering ELEVEN bands on the bill, including the ... 10/06/2009 - GET £2 OFF ROADRUNNER RELEASES WITH OUR GOLDEN TICKET IN THIS MONTHS METAL HAMMER If you pick up the current issue of Metal Hammer (that will be the one with SLIPKNOT'S Mick Thomson on the cover), inside you wi 03/06/2009 - EXTRA CAMPING TICKETS RELEASED FOR DOWNLOAD If you were one of those folks who had a ticket for DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL but had no camping sorted yet, you will be happy to ... 02/06/2009 - ANOTHER SOUNDWAVE UPDATE FROM DEVILDRIVER Check out this latest DEVILDRIVER update, shot when the band were over in Australia. In this snippet, the guys check out the Star Wars exhibit, ... 30/06/2009ASK THE ARTIST- HERMAN FROM DRAGONFORCE He's the God of Shred! He's a martial arts expert! He's Herman Li from the legendary DRAGONFORCE! And he as said he is more than ... 30/06/2009RR UK SPEAK TO DEZ AND JON FROM DEVILDRIVER The day after the Metal Hammer Golden Gods, DEVILDRIVER played Oxford Academy, and so we took the opportunity to sit down with them, post all ... 01/07/2009KERRANG AWARD NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED PLUS KILLSWITCH ENGAGE ADORN THEIR COVER! It's well worth investing a few of your earth pounds in Kerrang magazine this week as our very own KILLSWITCH ENGAGE adorn th 02/07/2009THE METAL HAMMER GOLDEN GODS FEAT. TRIVIUM AND DEVILDRIVER HITS SCREENS SATURDAY! As ever there were TV cams at this years Metal Hammer Golden God Awards and we just got word of when you will be able ... 02/07/2009ASK THE ARTIST- DEZ (DEVILDRIVER)- THE ANSWERS We recently gave you the opportunity to put YOUR questions to Dez Fafara from DEVILDRIVER and we got a ruck of emails in with some ... 03/07/2009WHAT'S ON YOUR IPOD- MARK MELICIA (THE PARLOR MOB) This week sees THE PARLOR MOB's vocalist Mark Melicia take the iPod challenge. Some pretty interesting tracks here... Genius Next Door by Regina Spektor This ... 03/07/2009THIS WEEKS TOP NEWS AND MEDIA Its been another busy week here on the news front here at Roadrunner HQ! We released The AMANDA PALMER DVD and the brand new offering ... 26/06/2009WHAT'S ON YOUR IPOD- DAVE PYBUS (CRADLE OF FILTH) We have set another band member the weekly iPod shuffle challenge in an effort to uncover some guilty pleasures, and we think this time we ... 17/06/2009ASK THE ARTIST- DEZ FROM DEVILDRIVER DEVILDRIVER are set to release their new album PRAY FOR VILLAINS on JULY 13th and we have no doubt that fans of the band have ... 26/06/2009DEVILDRIVER ANNOUNCE PRE-RELEASE ONLINE ALBUM PREMIER DEVILDRIVER will premier their new album PRAY FOR VILLAINS in a UK online exclusive with GET CLOSER the week prior to the albums 26/06/2009THIS WEEKS TOP NEWS!! Who put the week on fast forward?? It's freakin'Friday once again. Oh, hang on- THAT'S A GOOD THING! And here, as ever are the top ... 19/06/2009WHAT'S ON YOUR IPOD- JON MILLER (DEVILDRIVER) When they were in the UK recently we sat down with Jon, bassist with Download pit-masters DEVILDRIVER and got him to shiffle his iPod and ... 24/06/2009DEVILDRIVER ANNOUNCE OCTOBER UK TOUR DATES DEVILDRIVER, the circlepit kings who slayed the Download Festival last weekend with their incendiary main stage set, return to the UK for a short batch ... 22/04/2008DEVILDRIVER RELEASE DIGITAL EP 'HEAD ON TO HEARTACHE' DEVILDRIVER have a brand new EP available digitally NOW for your aural pleasure! Entitled HEAD ON TO HEARTACHE, the EP features previously unreleased tracksDamnin 25/06/2009CALL THAT A CIRCLE PIT? NA DUDE- *THIS* IS A CIRCLE PIT! DEVILDRIVER. Download 2009. Circle pits to end ALL circle pits. Nothing more to say really. A picture (or in this case a video) paints a ... 10/06/2009GET £2 OFF ROADRUNNER RELEASES WITH OUR GOLDEN TICKET IN THIS MONTHS METAL HAMMER If you pick up the current issue of Metal Hammer (that will be the one with SLIPKNOT'S Mick Thomson on the cover), inside you wi 11/06/2009DOWNLOAD STAGE TIMES! PLUS SEE HOW YOU CAN GET THE BACKSTAGE GOSSIP!! It's almost time people!! Tomorrow DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL 2009 kicks off and this year, Roadrunner UK has a staggering ELEVEN bands on the bill, including the ... 23/06/2009CHECK OUT DEVILDRIVER'S NEW VIDEO AND A BRAND NEW TRACK Metal Hammer recently revealed the first video to be cut from the upcoming metal opus from DEVILDRIVER- PRAY FOR VILLAINS. 12/02/2008WE MADE A BETTER RECORD Check out this great Interview with Devildrivers frontman Dez Fafara. EXTRACTS... Blasting-Zone.com: What can you tell us about your latest disc? Dez: "We made a ... 12/02/2008Out Now Please make note: Monday, the Resident Evil: Apocalypse soundtrack was released. (polite applause) Do make sure to check it out, and to check out the ... Pray For Villains Pray For Villains Pray For Villains (Special Edition Digital Bundle) Pray For Villains (Special Edition Digital Bundle) Pray For Villains (Special Edition) Pray For Villains (Special Edition) Pray For Villains (Digital) Pray For Villains (Digital) Head On To Heartache Head On To Heartache The Last Kind Words The Last Kind Words The Fury Of Our Maker's Hand The Fury Of Our Maker's Hand Devildriver Devildriver Promo Live Shots Press
