DevilDriver brings the ruckus to Dallas…
The DFW locals Dispositions got the evening start around 6:30 at Gas Monkey Live for the second stop of DevilDriver’s The Outlaws Til The End tour. They are all about the heavy while blurring the lines of death-core. The crowd was admittedly small but that was to be expected with such an early start on a weekday. I myself made it just in time for the first song of the night. Lead Singer Cody Hambright is a vocal powerhouse and all around entertainer, but Jameson White stole the show when he launched him self off the stage and over the rail to take on the pit for the last breakdown of “Imitator.” Catch these guys opening for SPITE!, November 30th at The Prophet Bar.
Divine Retribution took the stage next to an incredibly rambunctious crowd that was starting to really trickle in for the evening. A Christian DFW based band that pegs themselves as a Melodic Life Metal act with thrash influences. Promoting the recent release of their first studio album, Misericordia, they attempted to build on the energy that Dispositions demanded from the get go. Lead singer Kitty Garces held the attention of the crowd for what seemed about four songs before they started to move to the outside smoking section that became suddenly packed. This group wasn’t for me and the crowd seemed to agree. Maybe it was just an off night for the bunch.
The first band of the tour package for the evening was Raven Black. Originally from Los Angeles, California, they have since relocated to Michigan for easier tour and band life. The charismatic front-women Raven is a mighty, yet tiny package of angst and doom filled vibes. Props galore were abound for the set, switching between a parasol, a staff with a jokers skull on top, a mace, and a teddy bear, carrying on as what seemed to be a doll like routine for the set. They bring a carnival act to the stage backed by an in-your-face sound that is bludgeoning and pleasing to the senses all at the same time. A complete act that I only see getting better and more fine tuned with time.
The band that I was most excited for this evening, mostly because I had not received the opportunity to experience them, was monster that is Jinjer. Front-women Tatiana Shmailyuk is a wildly talented vocalist and I was incredibly happy to see that she is just as violent live as she is in recording. The Ukrainian Metal act has taken the United States by storm and its completely understandable to me after my night at Gas Monkey Live. The combination of Roman Ibramkhalilov on guitar and Eugene Kostyuk on bass backed by Vladislav Ulasevish on drums is a combination that meshes superbly. The only thing harder than pronouncing their names is the music they make. Jinjer brought life back into the crowd and the pit began to open with the crowd packing in the lower floor. Tatiana actively acknowledged members of the crowd who she noticed singing along with her and chatted them up during instrument change overs and breaks during the set. The song “Outlander” stuck out the most for me as it really seemed to trigger solid crowd movement and excitement. If you haven’t already seen this group, they are a must-see for almost any metal enthusiast.
The DevilDriver hoard was alive and well. Hitting the stage with a “Ruthless” start to the evening that set the pace for the onslaught that was about to be unleashed. “Dallas is a DevilDriver stronghold,” said front man Dez Fafara, the only original remaining member of the band. I haven’t seen them since OzzFest 2008 and boy was I in for a treat this evening. They played two covers this evening, the first was “Whiskey River” originally by Willie Nelson and the second was “Sail” originally by AWOLnation. I was a huge fan of the “Sail” cover, they put their own heavy spin on it, but left enough of the original feel to pull it off brilliantly. “Grinfucked” started to the forever growing circle pit mid floor. By the time they played “I Could Care Less,” the pit had swelled to about thirty feet across and was taking up a large portion of space on the floor.
The brutal assault to the senses never let up from start to finish. The current lineup does well live and seemed to be getting along splendidly while interacting on stage. Every time Dez asked for a bigger pit the crowd happily obliged and sucked in more room and innocent bystanders who where quickly sucked away from their respective parties. All the songs of the evening led up to “The Mountain” and the crowd went berserk. People rushed passed me and threw themselves into the pit. Dez mentioned that there was no encore and this was the last chance they had to throw-down. The pit now had a commanding control of the Gas Monkey floor at about 40 feet across and I have no clue how many people were involved. The night came to an end and they all took to the time to show appreciation for the people who make their dreams possible. Thank you for coming through gentleman.
– Brently Kirksey
– click to enlarge photos –
