Courtesy: Century Media Records
Kill Devil Hill released in its second full length album last year, what proved to be one of 2013’s best Hard Rock/Metal albums. The hard rock supergroup’s sophomore album is, as the old adage states, all killer and no filler. What really makes this album so enjoyable for any purist metal head and hard rocker is that it is another of those albums that both new audiences and those that are more familiar with the band’s music will enjoy. It is one of those albums that eventually will lead listeners to find their own favorite songs over time. And over time, none of the eleven tracks from which listeners are offered ever lose their luster. This is obvious right from the album’s opener, ‘No Way Out,’
‘No Way Out’ opens Kill Devil Hill’s second full length studio effort. This song is a straight forward radio-ready rock song that any open-minded radio programmer will appreciate. Guitarist Mark Zavon and drummer Vinny Appice (Black Sabbath, Dio, Heaven & Hell) drive the song with their full throttle attack. And bassist Rex Brown’s (Down, Pantera) grinding bass line late in the song gives the song even more depth. It gives it more of a punch for lack of better wording. Vocalist Dewey Bragg (Pissing Razors) can’t be ignored here, either. His vocal style could easily be compared to a number of other well-known rock vocalists as he sings, “Infected by the power of corruption/Put out your fires with gasoline/No respect for the trust you’ve betrayed/You’re headed for the end of the line/Step by step…Justice will be served/The house of cards comes crashing down/Salvation at the end of the line.” Bragg and company make no bones as to the message being sent here. Here, audiences get a song about those that let power get the better of themselves. This is made increasingly clear as Bragg sings in the song’s first verse, “Blinded by the fog of deception/Can’t you see that they’re selling you lies/Getting rich off the profits of others/Freedom’s well runs dry.” This illustrates even more the topic covered in this song. And it’s only the beginning from Kill Devil Hill on this album, too.
Another of the interesting points of Revolution Rise comes in the form of ‘Long Way From Home.’ This semi-acoustic song bears quite the Black Label Society. As a matter of fact, it sounds like it could have come from the recording sessions for Hangover Music Vol. VI. It obviously didn’t. But its more reserved sound and introspective lyrics make for a welcome momentary break from the rest of the high octane songs that precede it on this record. Bragg sings on this song, “Seems like only yesterday/How did I drift so far away/A prisoner of the distant sands of time/The damage done from days gone by/A tangled knot/We can’t untie/Memories we left so far behind/I’m a long way from home now/I’ve been gone so long/Will I ever find a way back to where I belong.” The song crafted here is obviously one of looking back on the past. This is increasingly obvious in the song’s second verse as he sings, “Would the past forgive me now/If I could travel back somehow/Across the miles/Down that old familiar road/Chasing the stars with no regret/A darkened heart I still can’t forget/The little things we loved so long ago.” There are those that might instantly say of this song that it’s just a standard song of self-loathing. But the reality is that everybody has had a moment quite similar to the one (or ones) portrayed in this song. Some will deny it. But we have all had at least one such moment. That ability of the song to reach so many listeners makes it one more of the many great songs that make up Revolution Rise.
Kill Devil Hill offers its fans plenty of reasons to be happy on its new album. That has already been evidenced in just two examples of the album’s tracks. For all of its commentary and personal, even Kill Devil Hill isn’t exempt from the standard songs based in issues of personal relationships. In ‘Endless Static’, Bragg seemingly sings about the kind of lying backstabber that so many listeners have encountered at one point or another in life. Again, here audiences get another song to which they can easily relate. And the song’s energy only makes it that much more hard-hitting. He sings, “Lately I’ve been hearing/You’ve been talkin’ smack/And smilin’ to my face all the while/You’re tellin’ stories like a common crook/As if it all rings true/But I see right through it/Screaming is so dramatic/Dreaming is in the static/All this make-believing makes me laugh out loud/Hiding behind your smile/Drowning in sweet denial…Why can’t you find the guts to say it to my face/Instead of hiding out behind the lies/The truth is I don’t even give a damn/The face of your deception/It’s your reflection.” No one can deny that they have ever encountered such a person as the one described here. And everyone can agree that they, too have felt the same kind of anger and aggression toward said person that is presented here. It’s one more of so many songs that make Revolution Rise a record that any purist hard rock fan will appreciate.
Kill Devil Hill recently finished off a busy tour to finish off 2013. But fans can always keep up with the latest tour announcements, news, and more from the band on its official website, http://www.killdevilhillmusic.com. Fans can also go here to order the band’s new album while they wait on the next announcement of new tour dates from the band. Fans can also get the latest tour dates, news, and more from the band on its official Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/killdevilhillmusic. To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it. Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.comm.
philspicks 