Wednesday, 11 July 2018

Album Review: DEVILDRIVER - Outlaws 'Til The End Vol.1

DEVILDRIVER - Outlaws 'Til The End Vol.1

01.   Country Heroes (feat. Hank Williams III) [Hank Williams III cover]
02.   Whiskey River (feat. Randy Blythe and Mark Morton) [Willie Nelson cover]
03.   Outlaw Man [The Eagles cover]
04.   Ghost Riders in the Sky (feat. John Carter Cash, Ana Cristina Cash and Randy Blythe) [Johnny Cash cover]
05.   I'm the Only Hell (Mama Ever Raised) [Johnny Paycheck cover]
06.   If Drinking Don't Kill Me (Her Memory Will) (feat. Wednesday 13) [George Jones cover]
07.   The Man Comes Around (feat. Lee Ving) [Johnny Cash cover]
08.   A Thousand Miles From Nowhere [Dwight Yoakam cover]
09.   Copperhead Road (feat. Brock Lindow)  [Steve Earle cover]
10.   Dad's Gonna Kill Me (feat. Burton C. Bell) [Richard Thompson cover]
11.   A Country Boy Can Survive [Hank Williams Jr. cover]
12.   The Ride (feat. Lee Ving) [David Allan Coe cover]

Outlaws 'Til The End Vol.1 is DevilDriver's first covers record and is a collection of Country and Western tunes that have been given the Extreme Metal treatment. It features a plethora of special guests, and what I like most about it is that it seems like a labour of love. DevilDriver clearly had a great time making this record. It's a fun concept that not only pays tribute to various Country artists and the genre as a whole, but re-works the material into what is essentially an awesome and refreshing Metal album.

I'm not a massive Country fan, and my knowledge of the genre doesn't go much further that recognising a handful of Johnny Cash and Dolly Parton songs. It also makes me think of that scene in The Blues Brothers where they play Rawhide behind a chicken-wire fence. Needless to say, you don't have to be into Country to enjoy Outlaws 'Til The End Vol.1.

My only criticism is that, if anything, the Country twist is perhaps a little too subtle. The band haven't taken as much of a risk as this album project may suggest, as it is 95% blistering Metal and sits easily alongside their back catalogue. However, I'd have thought that most of their fans would be happier with this straight-forward brutality than if they'd mixed things up even more.

All in all, Outlaws 'Til The End Vol.1 is an enjoyable Metal onslaught and is a welcome change from the norm.

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