Devil To Pay
"Thirty Pieces of Silver"
CD
Benchmark
Records
Genres: stoner rock, doom rock
band
website
Oct 11 - 17 2004 |
The stoner rock scene has been known for unearthing some impressive
new bands (with debut albums often being more impressive than later
releases), and Devil To Pay is no different. On Thirty
Pieces of Silver, their first album (the band just formed in
2002), we see a tight, energetic ensemble playing the type of
doom-filled
metal goodness they were born to create. Benchmark Records has
discovered something special; while Devil To Pay isn't
particularly creative, they work really well within their genre, never
pretending to be anything more than a stoner rock group, but instead
maximizing the potential of their genre.
"Whores of Babylon" was the first track on this disc that
really grabbed me by the collar and forced me to listen. It is
slow and grinding, attacking the ears with pulverizing onslaughts of doom
guitars and gravelly singing. I've heard plenty of doom rock,
but this is still some of the strongest material I've been forced to
ingest.
"Angular Shapes" follows right after, but it is a bit less
memorable - though more profuse and explosive, it hasn't got the same
type of infectiously suffocating power "Whores of Babylon"
boasts. Other explosively memorable rockers include
"Tractor Fuckin' Trailer" and "Toreader", both of
which pack powerful punches (or, rather, wallops). Some of the
album's lesser moments could use more memorable riffs ("The
Lamb," "Swathe") , but these shortcomings are
overshadowed by the album's other, massive successes.
Stoner rockers out there waiting for the next MeteorCity release,
prepare to be blown away. Devil To Pay may not be one of
doom rock's big names yet, but with a debut like Thirty Pieces of
Silver, they're certainly making a case for themselves - this is the
type of disc that is so intense it'll take the wind out of you.
Figuratively speaking. Let's hope they can keep up the energy for the sophomore full-length.
86%
Matt Shimmer [Vitals:
11 tracks, distributed by the
label, released 2004] |