Californian dark groove metallers DEVILDRIVER recently announced their upcoming double album, "Dealing With Demons". The first volume — titled "Dealing With Demons I" — drops on October 9 via Napalm Records and marks the band's first release of new, original material since 2016’s acclaimed "Trust No One". Representing the onset of a final purging of the themes that have long possessed frontman Dez Fafara and DEVILDRIVER's music, each track on "Dealing With Demons I" illustrates a different demon to be dealt with or released.
Today, DEVILDRIVER is following up on the release of the single/video "Keep Away From Me" and the haunting single/video "Iona" with a third single — the fast-paced burner "Nest Of Vipers". Harking back to the heavy, melodic, dark groove that DEVILDRIVER patented at their start while remaining entirely modern and fresh, "Nest Of Vipers" winds its way into the listener's psyche with metallic chugging and southern-fried leads, gritty, grooving riffs and a heightened dose of amplified energy and intensity. Co-written by Fafara and guitarist Neal Tiemann, the lyrics to "Nest Of Vipers" explore themes of true loyalty and the notion that friendship is not a commodity for sale.
Fafara says about "Nest Of Vipers": "This is my first co-written lyric on any DEVILDRIVER track with another band member, penned with our guitarist Neal Tiemann. Working with Neal is a good time. We always want what's best for the song. Lyrically, the chorus says it all — 'the king's sworn men make perfect liars.' This is the cold, hard truth, as people's loyalties are often bought and sold. The lyric 'she sleeps with bones beside her' refers to another theme touched upon in this track — a woman laying in misery next to her 'bones' of contention, harboring guilt as her loyalties are also bought and sold… It's all a sad state of affairs once you get into that bought and sold mentality, whether it's with your work or friendships."
The official music video for "Nest Of Vipers" — directed by Vicente Cordero of Industrialism Films — hypnotizes the viewer with cryptic, spellbinding imagery. Our subject agrees to have his tarot cards read, but is he about to experience more than he bargained for?
"Dealing With Demons I" showcases the supreme form of the band — Dez, guitarists Mike Spreitzer and Tiemann, drummer Austin D'Amond and bassist Diego Ibarra. This isn't just some of the most vicious DEVILDRIVER material to date, but some of their most lethally memorable too. Co-produced by Steve Evetts and Spreitzer, it's a triumph for teamwork and tenacity.
Fafara said about the band's writing and recording process: "I said to the guys, 'If we just met today, what kind of music would we make? How would we stand the test of time, stand apart from others and stand above the competition? Let's not focus on the past sound. Instead let's kick into the future together.'"
With new milestones like Fafara's eerie verses on "Wishing", "Dealing With Demons I" ferociously delivers the goods while kicking open several new doors for DEVILDRIVER to power through in the future. It's a vital and violent clearing of the emotional decks, but it's also powerful evidence that Dez and his bandmates have given DEVILDRIVER a volatile, visceral kick in the ass. Demons are getting dealt with in the harshest of manners.
Fafara added: "It's time to lay it all out, on two records. I'm never gonna revisit these subjects again. I've been writing about this sort of human nature, disloyalty and dishonesty, love and loss, since the beginning of my career. I am going in a more lyrically woke direction in the future. A lot of people say my music gives them strength. But what they don't realize is that these topics haunt me. Over the course of these last few years we fled from wildfires, my wife battled cancer and now we are going through a pandemic… so it is what it is… let's dump it all on the table and purge. I want to go through different topics in the future, so here we are now. I've laid it all out on a double record for all of you to hear."
This is just the beginning – fans should be prepared for the onslaught of what is to come with the impending second volume of the double album, which promises to go even harder. This is a two-part acceleration into the future — after witnessing "Dealing With Demons I", listeners will be clamoring for the second half.
Dez adds about the upcoming remainder of the "Dealing With Demons" saga: "Volume two will get into some very heavy topics as well. You'll see the band progress even further musically as we finish this ode to the purge of all things demonic."
"Dealing With Demons I" track listing:
01. Keep Away From Me
02. Vengeance Is Clear
03. Nest Of Vipers
04. Iona
05. Wishing
06. You Give Me A Reason To Drink (feat. Simon Blade Fafara)
07. Witches
08. Dealing With Demons
09. The Damned Don't Cry
10. Scars Me Forever
Photo credit: Stephanie Cabral
