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Review: Kill Devil Hill - Kill Devil Hill [Album]

SPV Records // "The result is an accomplished, varied and at times surprising self-titled record"

by AdamTogether, May 1st, 2012 and has been Read 1896 times.
Last Edited by: Jack Stovin May 1st, 2012.

If like me you are a fan of both Black Sabbath and Pantera then you too would have been intrigued to hear about Kill Devil Hill, a new ‘supergroup’ of sorts put together by ex-Pantera and Down bass player Rex Brown and ex-Black Sabbath/Heaven and Hell/Dio drummer Vinny Appice.

In their previous bands Rex and Vinny worked with some of the greatest singers and guitarists in rock (Ronnie James Dio, Tony Iommi, Dimebag Darrell, Phil Anselmo) so it goes without saying that their standards are high. The two heavy weights are joined by guitarist Mark Zavon who gained notoriety after appearing in Guitar Magazine’s “Spotlight” column and went on to join hair metal veterans Ratt, and relative unknown vocalist Dewey Bragg. The result is an accomplished, varied and at times surprising self-titled record.

Having two giants of heavy metal in their ranks, you’d expect Kill Devil Kill to be a monstrously heavy album, however the majority of the tunes on here are actually quite melodic, laid back and tuneful, more in the vein of classic rock and grunge than heavy metal. That’s not to say that it isn’t without any meat at all.

Opener ‘War Machine’ is a statement of intent, beginning with an up-tempo thrash riff and an intense roar from Bragg. The chugging riffs during the verse certainly pack a punch however it’s the huge, soaring chorus that really defines the band’s sound as a whole.

Although Appice and Brown are the two people in the line-up who will bring people in to listen to Kill Devil Hill, vocalist Bragg is the one who shines most on the record. His gravely yet powerful voice sounds more than a little like the late, great Lane Staley. It’s actually a wonder he was overlooked when Alice In Chains were searching for a new singer, as he would have arguably made a more fitting replacement than William DuVall. It’s a good job they did overlook him as he’s the perfect addition to Kill Devil Hill.

Second track 'Hangman' opens with Rex’s signature growling bass and an overdriven slide riff from Zavon and again Bragg puts in a stellar performance on the slow yet catchy chorus.

One of the standout tracks for me is ‘Voodoo Doll’, as it shows off the bands versatility and song writing skill to a tee. Ranging from headbanging heaviness to sleazy yet irresistible melody to stone cold groove with the effortlessness that only the most experienced songwriters can summon.

‘Gates Of Hell’ is slow and gruelling, with touches of the slower Pantera tunes like ‘This Love’ and the dark and doomy atmosphere of Heaven and Hell. ‘Rise From The Shadows’ ‘We’re all Gonna Die’ and ‘Time and Time Again’ are probably the three heaviest tunes on the album, all tectonically slow and doomy, and clearly influenced by Vinny Appice’s former master Mr Tony Iommi.

‘Strange’ has an absolutely killer riff, bluesy, full of groove and attitude, it’s one of those that you can’t help but smile and bang your head to when you hear it.

‘Old Man’ begins with a mid tempo 80’s style riff which does seem a bit uninspired however it’s rescued by the huge chorus in which Bragg again shows if his mighty range.

‘Mysterious Ways’ is a gorgeous campfire tune full of lush harmonies and 12 string acoustic guitar. Bragg sings in a much smoother way, and at times even sounds a little like Noel Gallagher!

‘Up in Flames’ is a sprawling epic, full of haunting arpeggios which build to another huge chorus which by now have become Bragg’s trademark.

On final track ‘Revenge’ Appice shows off why he was picked as the drummer for the greatest heavy metal band of all time, Black Sabbath, effortlessly hammering out complex yet groovy rhythms, while Zavos shows why he was picked as Appice’s latest band mate, with some inventive slide guitar work, and a blistering solo.

In all Kill Devil Hill is just the kind of album you’d expect from a band whose members are so experienced in making quality rock music. Polished, catchy and downright eclectic, although it might not be as heavy as some might have expected, it’s still pretty darn gnarly.

Kill Devil Hill - Kill Devil Hill is out on 28 May 2012 on SPV Records