DEVILLE - Hydra (CD)

Swedish stoner rockers Deville has released some pretty interesting stuff before, but Hydra takes the band to a new level for me. Opening rocker Lava really kicks the listening experience into instant high gear! I really like Bengtsson’s clean, but strong voice in combination with the hard driving fat guitars. They remind me a bit of The Quill at times, which is quite okay in my book! I’m happy to say next track, Iron Fed, continues this pleasant musical journey with its intense, back-beat power-rhythm, while In Vain takes it all down a bit with a cool pace. At times it feels wrong decimate Deville by calling them a stoner band, since they have so many more influences in their sound and style. They are not overly distorted in the guitar department and the vocals are cleaner than the general stoner band. There are great riffs, there are cool mellow parts, there are are nice variations in tempo and rhythms. There’s a bit of Truckfighters, a bit of Dozer, a bit of The Quill, even a bit of Mustasch at times. It’s also quite melodic. Let It Go, for instance, actually gave me a bit of a King's X feel with a modern melodic chorus. Most of all, they have really hit home when it comes to the song quality on this album. A killer rocker that needs to be thoroughly checked out!

Janne Stark

Country: Sweden

Label: Small Stone Records

Year: 2013

Format: CD