Devil Gone Public debut album due 29 July 2016
Album release: ‘Smokehound’ by Devil Gone Public
Release date: 29 July 2016
More info: Band website
Formed in Sarasota, Florida in 2008, Devil Gone Public united under the guidance and mentorship of Brian Johnson (AC/DC). The band spent a lot of their early years jamming with the likes of Johnson, Scotti Hill (Skid Row) and Donald ‘Duck’ Dunn (Booker T, The Blues Brothers), which led to the band performing extensively in support of Brian Johnson, alongside the likes of Motley Crue and Godsmack before disbanding in 2012.
Having reformed in 2014 independently of Johnson, Devil Gone Public are now gearing up to release their debut album, ‘Smokehound’. The band’s debut is a consummate collection of visceral yet refined tracks, which effortlessly fuses elements of groove metal, stoner rock, southern metal and sludge. The lead track, ‘Euthanation’ is the perfect introduction to the new album; combining Red Fang meets Mastodon-esque guitar riffs with powerful and sneering vocals calling to mind the sounds of Lamb of God and He Is Legend. Elsewhere on the album ‘Blood Debt’ edge towards the frenzied southern influence of Every Time I Die, coupled with a very subtle hardcore influence that could be likened to that of The Chariot. Whilst closing track ‘Galactic Amnesia’ takes its cues from rhythmic and grinding desert cruisers such as Kyuss and Goatsnake, with huge churning guitars colliding with unrelenting bass lines and rhythms supplementing dynamic vocals throughout.
'Smokehound' is an album that you can easily draw comparisons to; however, through its combination of exhilarating vocals, crushing instrumental sections and dark unforgettable breakdowns, Devil Gone Public are able to create an individual sound for themselves which is just as beguiling as it is impressive.
When creating and recording their debut the band also brought in Rob Caldwell (Iron Reagan, Goatwhore) to produce the album, as well as enlisting the talents of Jake Duncan (Maylene and the Sons of Disaster) to lay down guest guitar parts. Speaking about the album the Garrett Moore (lead vocals) said “This album comes from a culmination of our various musical backgrounds and influences, having grown up on Classic Rock, our roots are deep in Rock N' Roll and that has a lot to do with our style and sound. When we set out to create this album with Rob Caldwell, we knew we wanted to write a heavy, groovy, sludgy metal record and spent a lot of time trying different tones and worked hard to make it something we're all proud of.”
As a debut full-length album Devil Gone Public have shown a lot of promise for what is yet to come, despite this being their first full-length album in their eight year existence. This is an album that will appeal to many different listeners from the metal world and is one that is both familiar and individual all at once. It’s time to start paying attention to Devil Gone Public, because after eight years they are ready to prove that sometimes it really is worth the wait.