DevilDriver
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DevilDriver |
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DevilDriver (initially called Deathride) is a death metal-influenced groove metal band from Santa Barbara, California. They were dubbed by Phil Anselmo, the former Pantera leadman and current Down lead singer, as the next Pantera.[1] The band are also becoming known for their signature large circle pits, much like Lamb of God's "Wall of Death".
Biography
The group can be traced back as early as 2002, when Dez Fafara was still in his Band Coal Chamber secretly making demos. He started the band with Evan Pitts. Pitts saw Fafara one morning in a diner in California. The rest of the members were recruited over time in a bar. After the demise of Coal Chamber, DevilDriver became his main focus. Their debut album, the self-titled DevilDriver, was released on October 23, 2003 under Roadrunner Records. Its first single "I Could Care Less" saw airplay on various heavy metal TV programs.
However, Dez wanted to focus more on the extreme side of music, influenced by black, death, and thrash metal.[citation needed] The 2005 album, The Fury of Our Maker's Hand, was generally well-received by fans[citation needed] and critics alike, even garnering a 4K review from rock magazine Kerrang.[1]
The band went on numerous tours in support of the album, including stops in the United States, Europe, and Australia in support of bands such as In Flames, Fear Factory, and Machine Head, as well as the Burning Daylight Tour, their first headlining.
On October 31, 2006, DevilDriver re-released The Fury of Our Maker's Hand with three additional studio tracks and three live recordings of previously released material. The special edition also contains a DVD of all of their music videos to date.
Recently, DevilDriver wrapped up the recording sessions for their third album (which was released June 16 and June 19 2007 in Australia and the United Kingdom respectively, and was released on July 31 in the United States), entitled The Last Kind Words, at Sonic Ranch studios outside El Paso, Texas and promoted it by playing at the British rock festival Download Festival at Donington alongside headliners Linkin Park, Iron Maiden, and My Chemical Romance.
"Horn of Betrayal" was debuted from The Last Kind Words. It was played on May 16th on Sirius Satellite's Hard Attack channel.
The entire completed album leaked onto the internet in mid June, 2007.
On July 28th, 2007, the band announced on their MySpace that they would join Ozzfest on August 2nd. Stating that they would play at 3:30 in the afternoon, it can be determined they are taking the second stage non-rotating spot left vacant by recently departed Mondo Generator. DevilDriver will be starting their UK Tour in October 2007
They will be a part of Gigantour, which also includes Lacuna Coil, Static X and Megadeth (who are headlining) that tours through Australia in November.
Genre
DevilDriver's genre is subject to heavy dispute between fans.[citation needed] Lead singer Dez Fafara once said in an interview that the band did not want to be pigeonholed to any particular single genre, and that they get inspiration from many different styles of music.[citation needed] The band are mainly regarded as groove metal[citation needed].
Members
- Dez Fafara - vocals
- Mike Spreitzer - guitar
- Jeff Kendrick - guitar
- Jon Miller - bass guitar, guitar
- John Boecklin - drums, guitar
Former
- Evan Pitts - guitar
Evan Pitts quoted his reason for leaving the band was: "I didn't want to tour anymore, the lifestyle did not suit me well." [citation needed]
Discography
Albums
| Album cover | Album title |
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DevilDriver
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The Fury of Our Maker's Hand
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The Last Kind Words
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Singles
- "I Could Care Less" (2003)
- "Nothing's Wrong?" (2004)
- "Hold Back the Day" (2005)
- "End of the Line" (2005)
- "Not All Who Wander Are Lost" (2007)
- "Clouds Over California" (2007)
Other
- Two DevilDriver songs have appeared on the TV series Scrubs - "Devil's Son" in the episode "My Therapeutic Month", and "Driving Down the Darkness" in both "My Therapeutic Month" and "My Long Goodbye".
- "The Mountain" was featured on the soundtrack for the U.S. release of Galerians: Rion.
- "Digging up the Corpses" is a DevilDriver song exclusively produced for the movie Resident Evil: Apocalypse.