Bloody hell (no pun intended folks), but has it really been four whole years since Devil released ‘Gather The Sinners’, an album that was in my top 10 of 2013 and still gets regular plays? A quick tally on my fingers confirms that is the case, so the obvious question must be, “is it worth the wait?” Can such a long hiatus mean a change or even loss of direction? Read on gentle reader, read on.

‘To The Gallows’ is plain and simply a bloody fantastic album from start to finish; that is it! Devil have returned from their far too long break and just delivered nine tracks of hard rocking goodness that they can be rightfully proud of, and sound as new and fresh as any of their prior work, just brimming with a cocksure confidence that can surely only come from a band that is happy within itself. Album opener and title track ‘To The Gallows’ chugs out with their trademark lo-fi sound, but adding a large slab of throbbing NWOBHM into their normal doom rock delivery; if this track was found on some long lost compilation tape from back in the day it would nestle proudly amongst the likes of Budgie and Di’Anno era Iron Maiden, punching out of the speakers with the impact of a studded leather clad fist. The track is practically a mission statement from the band; there will not be frills and technical fret-wankery, just the good stuff!.

‘Trenches’ continues the retro assault where ‘Gallows’ left off, and whilst the former mined lyrical themes of Satanic worship, this number goes for one of the other perennial fascinations for heavy metal bands, namely that of war. However, unlike their contemporaries Sabaton, ‘Trenches’ is not a massively layered homage to technical wizardry, but keeps to a punk tinged garage sound. You couldn’t imagine Devil rolling on stage in a tank in a blaze of pyros, rather they’d just come on stage in denim, pop their pints on their amps, pick up their instruments, plug in, and rock. Just in case there was any concern that some clichés might remain unmined, they follow this with the zombitastic ‘Dead Body Arise’, and then ‘Regulators’ a hard rock number about rocking hard, whilst that scythe wielding star of so many songs Death himself is the star of ‘Reaper’s Shadow’; how can anyone fail to enjoy the simple joy of the lyrics “in the Reaper’s shadow, in the shadow of the Reaper”? If you don’t enjoy this song, well, I think the Grim One has probably already claimed your soul.

Every one of the nine tracks on this album is laden with riffs that will have denim clad legs stomping, be they clad in skin tight drain pipes or flapping in flares, Devil has a track for you. ‘To The Gallows’ is an album that will be claimed as the property of so many of the various tribes of metal, be they worshippers of Doom, partakers of the the Sweet Leaf, hi-top trainer wearing true NWOBHM warriors, Hammond Organ followers of all things retro (check out the break in ‘Peasants & Pitchforks’), or devotees of the occult, there is something there for all. Whilst it’s true there are nothing wildly new and previously unheard to the sound of the band, it is how Devil mix their ingredients that make the album so special. Every track, hell, every verse, every chorus, every riff, every word and every note is delivered with an utterly infectious enthusiasm and joy that the listener cannot help but be grabbed by it. Whilst I’ve no doubt the band worked hard to write and craft these songs, each one sounds like an effortless and organic creation bereft of the over rehearsal and engineering polish that render so many acts devoid of passion and immediacy. This is how rock and metal should sound; unapologetic, unashamed, and with no agenda beyond that to entertain. Devil, I salute you, just don’t take too long for the next release, please.

(9/10 Spenny)

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