D.M's Best Albums of 2019

My statements at the head of this will be brief this year, because I think a lot of these albums speak for themselves.  As usual, we begin with a recitation of the rules – original studio albums only.  No compilations, no re-releases, no live albums, no cover albums.  And, as ever, my list goes to 11.

I think I will say only this – I love and would defend all these records against naysayers of any stripe, but I find myself wishing that more bands I didn’t already know had made the final cut this year.  I suppose it’s something that there are three or four bands who have never the cut of my top ten before, but that’s a small consolation.  I’m fearful that the drought of new names is because I’m in my middle thirties and I’m subconsciously rejecting things are new and different.  More optimistically, and this is what I’m telling myself, I’m hoping the lack of new bands is a signal of two things – one, that several resurgences and comebacks were truly, unequivocally excellent, and second, that maybe as Chris C and I discussed, it was a slightly down year.

In the end, there were sixteen finalists.  To get the final roster down to the necessary eleven players (and one honorable mention,) four worthy albums got left in the lurch.  I have commemorated them below, and I parenthetically feel a little bad for Toothgrinder, as both of their last two albums fell just short.

And so I leave you with this list, one man’s humble opinion of the musical year that was.  Good luck and godspeed.

Others Receiving Votes:
Deathchant – Deathchant
Lord Vapour – Semuta
Death Angel – Humanicide
Toothgrinder – I Am

Honorable Mention - While She Sleeps - So What?

Every year there’s an album that populates my list because it simply overwhelms with power and reminds me of the heady days of my youth, when thunderous alt metal ruled the roost and Rob Zombie had spawned a legion of soundalikes and also-rans.  That’s where While She Sleeps make their headway, and they’ve gone and combined it with a twist of layered songwriting to add some depth.

11 - A Pale Horse Named Death - When the World Becomes Undone

This album absolutely deserves to be here, but I feel a little torn about starting with it, only because it’s hard to get excited about the year’s records when the list starts with the most depressing one.  Many of the bands born from the ashes of Type O Negative have failed to really hit home (Seventh Void and Silvertomb being two of them,) but APHND has something.  They’re both the closest spiritual successor to Type O and the most adept at carrying the spark of that band’s infectious songwriting.  The primary difference is that APNHD generally lacks Type O’s tongue in cheek humor, instead focusing on the darkness of a world gone mad.  Cue up the slow dirges, it’s a long, enjoyable ride.

10 - John Garcia - John Garcia & The Band of Gold

Speaking of artists who have it, John Garcia has it.  I admit I’m eating a little crow here – if you had asked me who the member of Kyuss was who was destined to succeed as a solo act, I don’t know that I would have picked John.  But there’s something about his dry, slow-burning band that’s clean and pure and infectious.  Who knows if Vista Chino will end up being a one-off or not, but in the meantime, John Garcia is capably carrying the torch for desert rock.

9 - Devil to Pay - Forever, Never or Whenever

Nothing is more frustrating than a band from the underground who isn’t getting nearly the publicity or exposure they deserve.  Overseas, that band is Red Eleven and in the good old continental United States, it’s Devil to Pay.  Darlings of the metal scene in the Midwest, these crusaders for sludge from Indianapolis have been putting out one killer album after another since 2004’s Thirty Pieces of Silver.  Fifteen years later, they’ve lost none of their steam and can spin out a killer riff at a moment’s notice.  Get on the bandwagon, already.

8 - Children of Bodom - Hexed

It’s weird to think of Children of Bodom as elder statesmen, but at this point that’s where we are.  They’ve taken a lot of twists and turns in their sound over the years, and Hexed is the natural evolution of their sound into a whole new phase.  It’s not easy to write accessible and catchy death metal, but they’re figured out the formula and are better off for it.  The news that three core members of the band are departing in December comes as a shock – particularly amidst the persistent rumor that the band’s name may have to change as a result.  If this be the end of Children of Bodom as we know it, it’s a fine effort to go out on.

7 - BRKN LOVE - BRKN LOVE

And finally, we get to a band making their debut this year.  2019 was light on new acts who truly impressed, but these Canadians can bring it.  To some extent, this album feels like a long EP more than a true album, but it’s still groovy and dire and heavy in all the right places.  BRKN LOVE wears all their influences in plain sight, and that’s just fine, because they’re drawing on great material.  I don’t know that I’ve had this much fun being introduced to a new band in this stripe since Wolfmother.

6- John 5 & The Creatures - Invasion

John 5 should no longer just be known as the guitarist for Rob Zombie and former guitarist for Marilyn Manson.  He’s a musician unto his own right now, and the fact that Zombie allows him time and space on stage to touch ever so slightly on his solo pieces is sufficient testament to that fact.  What separates John 5 from every other guitar virtuoso is that, and this sounds facile even as I say it but it’s true, he’s writing actual songs and telling stories, not just showing how many arpeggios he can play in thirty seconds (though he leaves plenty of space for that, too.)

5 - Combichrist - One Fire

Nobody is happier about the recent Industrial Revolution than me.  Suddenly the genre is undergoing a huge comeback, and the big beats, cranked gain and scorched sounds are welcome in my ears any time.  Combichrist has taken a lot of turns to make their sound more metal and less abstractly industrial, and I dare say they get better with every album.  One Fire is a great listen for when you’re mad at the world.  Or working out.  Or playing sports.  Or doing dishes.  Or whatever damn time you want to listen to it.

4 - Life of Agony - The Sound of Scars

I wrote in great detail during my full review of this album why I’m conflicted about it.  I won’t rake you all over the details again, but know that it’s because I’m not sure if I love this album because of what it is, or because it represents something that used to be.  In any event, I’m quite certain the fault, if there is one, is with me, and not with the album.  There are piled of bands out there who have tried to ape this sound in the past twenty years and fallen completely on their faces in the process.  As a result, the door is open for Life of Agony to come marching in and teach a master class on the subject.

3 - Indestructible Noise Command - Terrible Things

The comeback is complete! INC now has more albums post-hiatus than pre-hiatus, and they appear to be here to stay (do some touring already, would you?)  This album is an old-school thrash masterpiece, brimming with attitude and big riffs and speedspeedspeed.  The band got away from the Pantera sound that had colored their other two recent albums (which I use only as a recognizable standard – INC predates Pantera and the intertwined history of the two bands is well documented,) and returned to the pure core of thrash from which they were born, to great effect.

2 - Royal Republic - Club Majesty

This album is fucking magnificent.  It’s probably the album on this list that I go back and listen to the most.  It’s a delicious blend of disco, rock and pure sleaze, molded together over cheap cocktails and sardonic songwriting.  There’s only one thing that keeps this record from the top spot, and it’s that you have to be in the right mood to listen to it.  The album lives right on the edge between sassy, over-the-top rock excess and completely and totally annoying.  It plays that line to perfection, but boy, if you come into it with the wrong state of mind…..but don’t get me wrong.  This is album #2 for a reason.

1 - Destrage - The Chosen One

I feel bad about this only because some might think I’m starting to show favoritism.  Including this one, Destrage’s last three albums have finished 1, 1 and 2 in my end of year rankings (and Are You Kidding Me? No. could still make a case for number 1 over Red Eleven’s Round II.)  Like all Destrage albums, this one grew me on over time.  When it released in May, I thought it was good, but not as strong as the prior two.  And then it wore on me.  And wore on me.  And for reasons I couldn’t understand, I just kept going back to it over and over again.  Slowly it became a constant companion on road trips and when travelling for work.  So, it’s hard not to think that some of this placement is based on the luck of timing – if it had released in October, I don’t know that I would have had enough time with it.  There’s something about this band, though – they write lyrics way past the margin, bend their idiom for riffs that barely make sense and reach outside the comfort zone of genre to craft huge choruses and songs that are too irresistible to be denied.  The Chosen One does nothing but continue the band’s dominance.

Here It Is - The Best Albums of 2016

Okay, so this is the culmination of the musical year, the part everyone wants to read because it satiates our two great needs – subjective, arbitrary rankings of art and numbered lists.  If this were the internet (hey, wait…) I might be so inclined to toss in a “Number 7 will shock you!” but because I respect the intelligence of those reading this, I won’t stoop to such a facile attempt to patronize your greater sensibilities.

Not much in the way of introductions needed here, because first of all, the headline pretty much covers what you need to know going in and if you wanted a more in-depth, analytical look at the year at large, well, you’ve likely already read the extended exchange of intellectual diatribes between myself and my esteemed cohort, Chris.

So real quick, let’s blast through the rules.  Pretty easy, there’s basically only one.  To be eligible, an album must be composed of original studio material.  Which means no live albums, no re-releases, no compilations.  You follow?  Good.  On we go.

One quick preamble before we sojourn further (and I know I promised no lengthy introductions.) As the year progressed, I kept a running tally of albums that I thought might prove their mettle enough to be included on this list.  In the end, there were thirty contestants, all of which I enjoyed, so just because an album does not appear here does not diminish its value.  So, with a tip of the cap to Black Wizard, Surgical Meth Machine, Jinjer, Dark Forest, Red Tide Rising, Prong, Deadlock and a fistful of others, let’s get to the awards:

Honorable Mention – Gypsy Chief Goliath – Citizens of Nowhere
As if anybody had any doubt about the future of baseline, sludgy blues metal, here comes Gypsy Chief Goliath to put all those fear to bed.  A stunningly powerful and at times abrasive album, the band also weaves some classic rock style songwriting into their mix, creating a much fuller and more robust experience.



11 – The Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell – Keep It Greasy
As eclectic and bizarre as ever, The Shovell returns to the halls of this list having once previously submitted the album of the year.  There was an effort in between that one and this one that didn’t make the grade, but the gents return to form on this record, combining their…unique…themes and visions with their penchant for writing catchy, old-school riffs that undulate with that glorious distortive factor that so characterized the most memorable experiences of rock in the ‘70s.



10 – Devil to Pay – A Bend Through Space and Time 
This is as much a vote for the entire Devil to Pay catalogue as it is for this specific album.  Every DtP album is different from its predecessor, which is an accomplishment in and of itself, this one being no exception to that remarkable pattern.  As I look back over the list, it’s probably a reflection of personal preference that the first three albums we’ve talked about today are all muddy reproductions of rock-as-we-remember-it, plucked from the tree of Black Sabbath and given to take root in the furnace of modern metal.  Anyway, “A Bend Through Space and Time” keeps the gears churning with that Midwest flair that Devil to Pay trades so well in, crafting a rolling, roiling listen that never rests.



9 – Red Eleven – Collect Your Scars
C’mon people, let’s help this band out.  They deserve to be on a world tour immediately.  Sometimes you hear new music and you just know that a band has ‘it.’  Red Eleven is one of those bands.  This is one part European metal precision and one part pure American grunge design.  There are few bands operating now who seem to want to admit they took their inspiration from the ‘90s, but Red Eleven is in that company, and leading the charge.  “Collect Your Scars” showcases the band’s smooth songwriting and easy composition while juxtaposing that against their aural power.

8 – Blood Ceremony – Lord of Misrule
And of course, right after we make one trip to a band influenced by the ‘90s, we crash right back into bands that have a public love affair with the ‘70s.  Or in some cases on this album, the ’60s.  Even more than their previous efforts, Blood Ceremony goes to great efforts to craft an experience that synthesizes their intimate knowledge of flower rock with the dread and occult of traditional heavy metal.  Top all this off with the siren song of Alia O’Brien and it makes for a can’t miss experience.



7 – The Browning – Isolation
Finally, I break my own pattern by including a record that shares nearly nothing in common with any of the others records on this list.  A unique mix of hardcore and edm, this is the logical extension of industrial metal as we’ve long thought of it, a pure give into the depth of electronic music.  At the time of review I said that this album possessed distinct flaws, and nothing about that has changed, but this is one of those glorious moments where the insight and uniqueness of the product overshadows the shortcomings.  Whenever I wanted something different in my speakers this year, this is where I turned.



6 – Death Angel – The Evil Divide
Thrash, when done right, is still a genre of malice and power.  Many of the hallmark bands of the once proud genre have strayed from that message or forgotten it entirely, but Death Angel is still carrying the banner, standing on the precipice and shouting to all those who would hear that thrash is alive and well.  Yet for all the shredding riffs and glass-chewing tones, it’s the emotional affectation of “Lost” that helps separate the album from the rest of thrash’s contenders this year.

5 – Red Fang – Only Ghosts
Only Red Fang can simultaneously sound like six different bands and yet still sound exclusively like Red Fang.  That’s an incredibly hard balance to strike, but Red Fang continues to exist at the unlikely crossroads of Clutch, Black Sabbath and Queens of the Stone Age.  One of the tricks of this album that makes it work so well is that no matter how far afield the songs get, there’s always a big chorus around the corner to bring everyone back into the fold.  It’s a critical talent, once that we’ll see again later on this list.



4 – Lacuna Coil – Delirium
Another record that works as a product of its emotional mix, “Delirium” sees Lacuna Coil tune down their radio-friendly metal chops and focus it into a sharp metal point that showcases fear, hope and anger in equal mix.  For the first time in a long time, the star of this album isn’t just Cristina Scabbia, but the play of her sanguine vocals laid against the harsh grunt of Andrea Ferro.  The return of that dynamic to the fore speaks louder than any other elements on this record, marking a new phase in Lacuna Coil’s already storied career.



3 – Texas Hippie Coalition – Dark Side of Black
As I talked about briefly in my discussion with Chris, some of what makes this album stand out is that I think THC fans were pretty sure we knew everything there was to know about the band’s musical acumen.  Then this album drops, taking their game to the next level both in ferocity and craftsmanship.  Big Dad Ritch confessed that the album was written and recorded quickly, an intentional effort by the band to release a record that shows some seams, while still showcasing the brilliance of Cord Pool, their guitarist who was finally involved in the writing of new material for the first time.  The band’s swagger is still ever-present, but there’s not genuine malice woven into the brew.



2 – PAIN – Coming Home
Heavy-handed proof that side projects need not be discarded.  All of PAIN’s records have been competitive against the established track record of Hypocrisy, but this one takes that game to a whole new level and challenges Peter Tägtgren’s main act to live up to this record.  “Coming Home” is a multi-faceted beast, one that showcases the power of rock, metal, weird samples, bizarre lyrics and straight-up tight songwriting.  The riffs, as ever for PAIN, remain the star.



1 – Destrage – A Means to No End
…and what else could it be?  The Italians top the list this year (after falling just short to Red Eleven a couple years back,) by bringing their full arsenal of musical mastery to the fore and combining all of the ingredients seamlessly before our eyes.  Destrage succeeds because they locate the sound they want, then acquire it, regardless of how far outside the bounds of what’s ‘metal’ they need to go.  Almost like a prog band, this group of artists can find and blend the best parts of rock, metal, hardcore, prog, grunge and maybe even some lounge material in such a skillful fashion that the listener never feels lost.  Much in the same vein as Red Fang, this is a band that knows how to craft a catchy chorus and always keeps one in the back pocket to bring everyone back together once the song has meandered too far.  Their talent is both undeniable and irresistible.  If you want to step outside the box a little, and really see what metal can do at the same time, there’s no better opportunity in 2016 than to hang out with Destrage’s new record.

The Continuing Evolution of a Devil - Steve Janiak of Devil to Pay

Fresh off the release of their new album, "A Bend Through Space and Time," we sat down with Indianapolis' own Steve Janiak, ideaman, vocalist and all around decent dude from Devil to Pay, one of the greatest independent metal bands going.  We talk his album, his band, his outlook, and a few other wildcards.

D.M: Let's talk about "A Bend Through Space and Time" - what's new for this album?  What part of it do you enjoy most?

STEVE JANIAK: A number of things, namely, we went to a different studio for the first time, Russian Recording in Bloomington, Indiana. Mike Bridavsky was at the helm and he is an immensely talented guy.  The other difference was the timeframe, we normally stretch out our recordings and take a month or more, cutting some here and some there after basic tracks are done. This time around we did everything in one week, finishing the weekend with mixing.

I have always enjoyed the creative parts of making music, writing, jamming, listening and reacting. Like tuning in a signal from outer space, it's part discovery and part following your gut instincts.

D.M: All the DtP records sound a little different, and this one is no exception - is there a conscious effort to shift sounds ever so slightly?

SJ: Not at all. We are merely doing what we always do and evolving along the way. You start at point A and end up at point B and dream about point C. Maybe unconsciously there is a desire to not repeat yourself, but it's never anything planned.

D.M: Do you think the albums are influences by what you're listening to at the time of conception?  If so, what are you listening to now?

SJ: Great question. I think it is possible to be directly influenced but unless someone else can point it out to me, I am too close to the material to hear any influences, beyond something obvious. Lately I've been listening to the onslaught of killer releases from Ripple Music, but I tend to go back to old favorites when I drive or clean the house.

D.M: When you're sitting around brainstorming riffs, when do you know you've hit upon a really good one?

SJ: Mostly you don't. Many times you have a buzz on and it all sounds spectacular in the moment. Later you listen to the recordings and the cream definitely rises to the top. We have hundreds of improvisations and rough ideas recorded. I go back and catalog them and each rehearsal becomes its own album, so to speak, with titles. The majority of these songs came from jams right after the last record came out. We have an insane glut of material, but our process is very slow.

D.M: How do you know when a record is 'done'?  Is it ever done?

SJ: [Laughs] The album is done when your time expires and the studio kicks you out.

D.M: Following the optimism of "Fate Is Your Muse," is there a different message on this new record?

SJ: Yes and no. Quite a few of the songs are about the choices we make. "Kobold in the Breadbasket" is a fantasy romp that is a disguised parable for our relationship with nature. "The Demons Come Home to Roost" is a warning from your own vice when you spiral out of control. "Recommended Daily Dosage" is a lament about our attitudes about health and the health care insurance industry. "Don't Give Away the World" being another cautionary tale of letting someone else dictate what you believe.

Beneath all of the songs is the basic idea that there is responsibility for what happens in life, even "Your Inner Lemmy" has teachable moments.

D.M: It's been roughly five years since your epiphany that preceded your previous album - mentally, where are you now?

SJ: I am still in the same space, without a doubt. I'm less in the 'study' mode these days and more in the 'apply what you learned' phase. I believe intention and expectation and belief are the cornerstones of turning your life around. All of these things have been slowly progressing since that initial event.

D.M: The last time we spoke, you were doing a lot of research into quantum theory and paranormal/metaphysical 'stuff.'  Where did that take you?  

SJ: Well, to be clear, the quantum theory stuff is pretty interesting but tough to relate to everyday events, not to mention difficult to wrap your head around. The metaphysical stuff I would almost consider a state of mind. It definitely influences how I perceive things, people, and events. At the time, it was as if a veil was lifted, and it can never be replaced. It doesn't matter how hokey it sounds, I found my comfort zone. Things have only gotten better in my life and most importantly of all, my attitude about the future is not the pessimistic, overly-critical, negative mind warp that it was in the distant past.

D.M: Your band has had a fairly solid lineup for a while now, which many independent bands struggle with - how do you keep the circle close knit?

SJ: We laugh about it now, because we've had our share of turmoil and disagreements, but our main focus for a long time has been 'let's write some music and stop worrying about the rest'. We're going on our 15th year as a band, it sounds so crazy to say it out loud. We all have other interests and other projects, and I suppose it fills some need to keep striving musically and song-wise, but if I had any advice for bands wanting the longevity thing, I'd have to say "don't sweat the small stuff", or "don't sweat at all", or maybe just "enjoy the ride?" Life is short, why you mad, bro?

D.M: What inspired you to write a song for Lemmy?

SJ: It was an accident. In 2013 Rob came in between some jams and started playing the main riff, and I asked him what it was. He had no idea at the time. So my synapses all fired off and I said, "we should make that a Motörhead type of jam", thinking it would make a fun B-side for another seven inch. I named it that same night. It became one of the ideas we went over and over. Eventually he thinks it's an Overkill riff, but by that time we already had the rest of the parts and some vocals. Months go by and we start looking at recording the album, the song is fully fleshed out and I have the base melodies worked out in my head. And of course we all loved it, now we have to put it on the record! I went through a ton of Lemmy quotes and tried to do Lemmy justice with my paraphrasing. After we recorded it, it sounded really huge. In my head I kept thinking he would someday get to hear it, then a few months later, he just died. I couldn't believe it. We shot a video and released it early as a tribute, in January of 2016.

D.M: Your cover art is usually more abstract or subtle than the one for this record - how did it come to be?  Are you the caveman?

SJ: I had seen some of W. Ralph Walter's art online and I was blown away. He was a friend of friends and I hit him up and asked if he'd be interested. I came up with this basic concept of a trans-dimensional alien goddess who exists beyond space and time coming down to breathe living knowledge into this caveman. Which is kind of how I feel about humanity and civilization in general. We are all stuck here waiting for something more, yearning in every direction, but can't quite see it... and I think it’s right under our noses.

The caveman in the picture is actually W. Ralph Walters himself, he painted himself in there. I have heard a couple interesting takes on the cover, one from a German reviewer, saying something about 'an alien stripper and some hippies', but the funny ones are the people who think it's Pepper Keenan from Corrosion of Conformity.  That is pretty entertaining.

D.M: Give me a preview - what's gonna happen with the Colts this year?

SJ: Well I am an optimist, generally speaking. I think if the coaches and the players can learn to stop worrying, and love the football, they could march right to the Super Bowl. But if I had to guess, I would say they're probably going to do fairly well this year and go pretty deep in the playoffs, but it's hard to gauge after all the injuries last year. I'll do a meditation now and picture Andrew Luck hoisting the Lombardi trophy after a year of ups and downs, then, when they do win, you can point to this interview and people might think I'm the next Edgar Cayce!

For more on Devil to Pay and to keep up on the latest news, check out their website and stay up to date with their Facebook page.

Album Review: Devil to Pay - "A Bend Through Space and Time"

Based in the heart of this great nation, Indianapolis’ Devil to Pay have been churning the distorted, fuzzed-out deep end of metal for quite a while now, building an impressive local following and a respected cadre of albums that amounts to a portfolio that equals or betters many of their contemporaries.

Part of the excitement of any new Devil to Pay record is the curious examination of what the chosen sound will be.  Prior to this new effort “A Bend Through Space and Time,” DtP has released four other works, all of which reach the same ballpark destination, but get there through different means.  Beginning in 2004, “Thirty Pieces of Silver” was an edgy ride, filled with slash-and-burn riffs and the vitriol of youth.  “Cash is King’ was more patient and much more dry, a slow burn that roiled and bubbled without exploding.  “Heavily Ever After,” by contrast, was a deeply impactful punch in the mouth, studded with the thump of metal’s power.  Then again, another shift for the most recent record, 2013’s “Fate is Your Muse,” bending back toward the roller coaster that started the whole journey, but this time reflected with a greater sense of optimism and enjoyment.

“A Bend Through Space and Time” is similar but different to all of those listed above, much in the same way as they all are siblings to each other.  This album carries the same fuzz and much of the same depth, albeit with more insistence and a greater influx of tension.  Additionally, the tone of this album is one of, well, paranoia is too strong a word, but caution isn’t, urging the listener both in music and vocal to be wary of surroundings and careful about who trust is placed in.  It’s not a complete reversal from the message of “Fate is Your Muse,” but it is an adjustment to it.

Anyway, let’s work backwards. “The Demons Come Home to Roost” is the album’s final cut, and it paints a fairly clear picture of all the album’s themes in one eight-minute shot.  Beginning with a pushy, stuttering riff that reminds of the chunky guitar work of the early nineties, the song settles uneasily into a pallor of doom metal tropes that play well together in melody and separately as harmony.  The song’s last two-thirds are akin to the Sword of Damocles, holding the listener in waiting with a tense riff that conjures mental images of the song’s title.

Just prior to the end, we’re faced with “Your Inner Lemmy,” a loving tribute to that icon most recently departed.  The pacing of the album picks up here, imitating the swaggering rock of Motörhead while lyrically telling a story Lemmy himself would be proud of.  For those hearing the song and thinking to themselves ‘where have I heard this before?’ the lead riff does bear some resemblance to Motörhead’s “Iron Fist,” but upon further review, is actually shockingly similar to Overkill’s “Bring Me the Night.”

The real character of “A Bend Through Space and Time” though, comes from the album’s middle, beginning with “Kobold in the Breadbasket,” and running through the deadpan of “Recommended Daily Dose.”  “Kobold…” is a seminal plodder, the kind of infectious, doom-y atmosphere injector that Devil to Pay has excelled at in different colors for a long time.  “Heavily Ever After” had “When All is Said and Done,” and “Fate is Your Muse” boasted “Wearin You Down,” which ranged in style from Clutch to Orange Goblin, and “Kobold…” fulfills that same obligation, but much more in the style of Kyuss.  (Quick Aside – in no way are we suggesting that Devil to Pay is simply copying those around them, these are just easy analogies used to paint accurate pictures from an editorial standpoint, and thus prevent this review from running into the thousands of words.)

As the album progresses through the middle, a single comparison jumps to mind, which is made all too often in metal circles but in this case has some traction – there’s a solid dose of Black Sabbath in these riffs, both in the sense of impending calamity (or some such,) and in the deeply layered blues groove that serves as a more than capable engine.

The screaming tones of “The Meaning of Life,” would have sounded perfectly at home on the same concert bill as Deep Purple, a minor-key but poignant reminder of what blues metal used to be like, all highlighted with an ever-present John Bonham hi-hat accompaniment.  These are the moments when Devil to Pay really shows off both their ability to write songs in their own idiom and their clear reverence for the halcyon days of the marriage between blues and metal, before the genre became sodden with the word ‘doom.’

Gauging “A Bend Through Space and Time” relative to the band’s other albums is difficult because it comes down to what you want to hear.  Personal taste is going to have a lot of input on which of their records you think is best.  For what it’s worth, all of them are of high quality, and this one is no exception.  An album that at its few fallow moments is still ‘very good,’ and often crosses the threshold into ‘excellent,’ Devil to Pay remains a top shelf metal band, flown too long under the radar of too many.