Devildriver are another band that I have a history with. I have been a follower of the instantly recognizable snarls of Dez since his days with Coal Chamber, and I remember convincing Best Buy to not lock its doors when I came to pick it up DD's debut album after school on the release date. Good times. The first 3 albums are my favorites, though the last one was not so bad. Even so, I did not have high hopes for this release. Musically it seems as if the band has peaked, the CC reunion was lackluster, and the cover of this album is just awful. Not only is the idea a dead cliche...it's not even executed in a creative or even aesthetically pleasing way. But I always give especially long-time groups a chance, and I have been rewarded for not judging a book by its cover many times before.
Surprise! It's seems these slightly aged groove metal men still have some cartilage left. In fact, the slimmed down nature of the production and songwriting (not that it was ever particularly notable) in many ways reflects the lean, youthful energy of the band's self-titled debut. And rather than relying on what seemed like speed and loudness alone, Devildriver have regained their past strength of placing songs on a strong foundation of guitar hooks. In fact, we get an earworm riff and ripping solo in the very first track. Pair these with Dez's simple but infectious lyrics and aggressive cadence and you've got something I can get down to.
If I remain as objective as possible while talking about this band I have been listening to since high school, they aren't winning any Golden Wreaths for their writing. I could name thousands of bands that are more creative than Devildriver, but that fact still doesn't take away the power of a good scream-along. After all, this is exactly how pop hits catch on so quickly: make it easy to remember and stuck in your head for days. I've already got plenty of invisible oranges moments down for tracks like "My Night Sky" and "Above It All." These are killer grooves that manage to differentiate enough to keep excitement going. And some of these leads get pretty impressive ("Daybreak").
And so even though the odds are stacked against them and they play it close to their comfort zone, I enjoyed this album. Of everything past the first 3 releases, this may very well be a new favorite, And despite lacking any particular originality, Devildriver has made up for it here with sheer fun. Let's be real, Dez is getting older and it takes a young man's energy to keep up the pace in this genre. The fact that he and the band can still come across with genuine intensity is admirable enough in its own rite. So I give Trust No One a yes. Anyone who questions whether I'm just being a fanboy can refer to my Deftones review. Fan or not, I know what I do and do not like. You can pick it up HERE in several packages or via Amazon for 9.99 CD or 7.99 digital..