Album Review: Device - Device

It's hard not to envisage South Park creator Trey Parker singing, “Come on,” which opens first track You Think You Know on Device, as it's almost comical in its heavy-metal delivery. However, it's actually Disturbed frontman David Draiman's new project, and if you're a fan of this brand of ultra-slick metal, designed for those of us whose predilections veer towards monster trucks, professional wrestling and pounding beers hard, then this should be right up your vomit-stained alley.

Draiman has enlisted the help of ex-Filter guitarist Geno Lenardo and his influence on the guitar sound is splashed all over this release. The axes are detuned with all the mid-range scooped out to create a tone that would make a sexually frustrated 15-year-old headbanger's pupils dilate with delight. Guests come in the form of Geezer Butler, Serj Tankian, Glenn Hughes and Lizzy Hale. Surprisingly, Rage Against The Machine's Tom Morello lends his slippery fingers to Opinion, trading his typical guitar tone for a more conventionally beefy metal one (with a couple of his patented record-scratch guitarlines thrown in for the hell of it).

Drums are used quite sparingly on this album allowing vocals to take centre stage, with added flourishes of electronic beats peppering tracks such as War Of Lies, adding an almost dance-like aspect. Lyrically, the album sticks to no-nonsense lines centred on alienation, ideal for bellowing from a cliff's precipice while shaking one's fists at God. No reading between the lines required here.

Final track Through It All is mellow and builds to a crescendo to round out an album that doesn't exactly reinvent the wheel, but many people are perfectly happy with the way wheels are, thank you very much.