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By JEFF MAKI
With their debut album, it was unclear at times kind of metal band Devildriver wanted to be. Hints of frontman Dez Fafara's previous band, Coal Chamber, could be heard, while some songs ventured into death and black metal territory. They were labeled a metalcore band, but that will change with the release The Fury of Our Maker’s Hand.
This record is a full-on metal assault. Gone are any traces of metalcore and any memory of Coal Chamber. The band has come into it's own, with technical death metal and even a new found sense of melody. While the first album seemed to be kind of forced at times, there is enough variety here and nothing is as quite overdone. "End of the Line" has a great acoustic intro and then just shreds for the next few minutes. It’s a great opening track. "Hold Back the Day" is perhaps the most accessible track, but it’s heavy as hell with a chant-along chorus. "Sin and Sacrifice" has a slowed down drudging part for the chorus, and sounds like Pantera on steroids. "Before the Hangman's Noose" has Dez barking, "It's a good day to die." Maybe not the most original lyrics, but it gets the job done. The title track actually has clean vocals in the chorus, adding more depth to the album. I can envision every song on this album being played live. There isn’t a weak moment on the disc and there's enough variety here to make every song stand on it's own.
The Fury of Our Makers Hand is many strides above the band's self-titled debut. Let's hope that Devildriver continues this progression and we could have ourselves a new heavyweight in the metal scene.
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