Metal & Mike: DevilDriver, Outlaws In Heavy Metal & Country
Michael Pementel
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Nowadays, if you bring up country music to most people they’ll turn away in disgust. This is because the genre has pop stars attempting to look like blue collar musicians, spewing cliché lyrics to overly produced pop music. However, that description is the farthest thing from what real country music is like. For long ago, in a time long before the radio pop country we know, there was outlaw country. “My first experience with country came from my parents record collection,” DevilDriver vocalist Dez Fafara shares. “I was the type of kid who came home and got into their records every day after school – they had everything from the Doors to Steppenwolf (Born To Be Wild), Willie Nelson, Kenny Rogers, and beyond. So I got turned on to it at an early age.”
Fafara’s love for outlaw country plays a significant role in the band’s eighth studio album. Following their 2016 record Trust No One, DevilDriver takes things in a new direction with Outlaws ‘til the End, Vol. 1. Set to release in July, the album consists of numerous covers from various outlaw country legends; songs involved come from the likes of: Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Hank Williams Jr., and more.
And if for a second you think DevilDriver is attempting to become a country band, then think again! The band takes each track and throws their own iconic metal sound into the mix. In doing so, they make sure to honor the composition of these songs. The record also includes some fantastic guest musicians, including: Randy Blythe and Mark Morton of Lamb of God, John Carter Cash (son of Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash), Hank Williams III, and more.
For Fafara, there’s a connection between outlaw country and heavy metal. “Real metal, not ‘radio metal’,” he shares, “is raw, real, [and] outlaw, it lives in its own merit like punk rock, the blues, or jazz. And outlaw country has a realness that relates. Outlaws like Cash, Willie, Waylon, and Hank were the ‘Lemmy [Kilmister]’ of their generation; they broke all the rules and never skewed their art for monitory gain.”
Going further with the connection, Fafara says, “The outlaw spirit and attitude that exists within outlaw country was embraced by metal. The ‘I’m a road dog persona,’ all of it was gained by watching these guys do it first.” He also clarifies, “NOT POP COUNTRY, BUT REAL OUTLAW COUNTRY IS REAL AS FUCK! The lyrics and stories are painted perfectly for the listener!”
Each of the album’s covers makes for a stellar blend of metal meets country. The band captures the grit of each song, and skillfully translates it into pulse pounding metal. Fafara says that the recording process was a great time with special moments. He shares, “Working with all the great musicians, tracking alongside friends, going to the CASH CABIN, recording, and signing the mantle over the fireplace was surely a highlight!”
In a time where there are so many new bands and artists, it’s welcoming to honor the legends. If there are any metal heads hesitant about checking out country records, Fafara has the right recommendations for you. Off the bat he states Johnny Cash, but also says, “Go straight to HANK III and listen to ‘Straight To Hell’ … if you’re not hooked then I’ll never get ya there! [laughter].”
You can order a copy of Outlaws ‘til the End, Vol. 1 via the band’s website, or Bandcamp, and listen to their cover of “Ghost Riders In The Sky” below. And if you want to keep up with more of my work, you find me on Twitter. And if you missed last week’s Metal & Mike with Khemmis, you can find that article here.
Categorized:Editorials News
