Kill Devil Hill – Revolution Rise


KILL-DEVIL-HILL-REVOLUTION-RISE-COVER-300x298 (1)Although Revolution Rise (Century Media Records) is only Kill Devil Hill’s sophomore album, nearly all metalheads have heard of them. The band is a bit of a super group considering they have Vinny Appice (Black Sabbath, Dio) on drums and Rex Brown (Pantera, Down) on bass. Some may expect the band to market themselves based on name value only, but the album shows that they can play quality music too.

 

Singer Dewey Bragg gets right down to it with a take no prisoners style scream on ‘No Way Out’. One can hear a bit of Phil Anselmo’s style in his vocals. Maybe it is the kind of vocals Brown likes to base his riffs off of, or the style he likes in his bands, but then again it could be a coincidence.

 

‘Crown of Thorns’ is a track where Bragg sounds particularly haunted. The album’s theme after all seems to be of a religious nature with allusions to Jesus Christ and lyrics about struggling with sin. The “oooo”s coming in the background give it an ominous yet beautiful and poignant feel.

 

A little past the half-way point comes ‘Long Way From Home’. It is a slightly slower jam with more of a Dirt or Jar of Flies era Alice In Chains feel to it. It is also the most heartfelt track on the album. ‘Stained Glass Sadness’ sees Brown’s bass skills really coming out. Guitarist Mark Zavon also really lets loose at this point and it is for the better.

 

Things get a little more theatrical at the end with ‘Life Goes On’. It serves as the perfect ending to the album in terms of both sound and message. The hidden track after this one is even softer to the point where it may not seem to fit the metal genre, but that is not Kill Devil Hill’s goal. Thank God for them looking to break the stale reputation of super groups.

 

7.0/10

 

Melissa Campbell