It's hard to believe now, but time once was when DevilDriver were one of the best and most respected metal bands on the planet. From 2003–9, at the height of the NWOAHM, Dez Fafara and co put out four records worth of red-blooded, riff-based metal that were as good as anyone else doing it at the time; from 2011–13 they put out two more that weren't as good, but were still pretty savage; then from 2016 onward they put out a bunch more of extremely diminishing quality that many of their fans have probably forgotten about entirely, if they even bothered listening to them in the first place. Now, in 2026, they're back with Strike and Kill, which just so happens to be the best album they've put out since their original, classic run, and which once again puts all of their contemporaries firmly on notice.
Strike and Kill is an album I was originally inclined to ignore. Between the preceding run of (low) quality and Fafara being distracted by Coal Chamber reunions and country tribute records, along with the goofy album title and even goofier artwork, it seemed like my relationship with the band had definitely run its course. One listen though had me convinced that the DevilDriver of yore were back and once again delivering some of the best and most aggressive heavy metal going 'round. Something of this return to form might be chalked up to the return of original bassist Jon Miller, who played on the band's first five albums. However, it likely has a lot more to do with the addition of guitarist Gabe Mangold of Enterprise Earth and Dead Icarus, who immediately makes his muscular presence known and is given room to really let loose within his new band's groovier, more thrash-centric setting.
Mangold is joined by ex-Bonded by Blood/Holy Grail shredder Alex Lee, who proves the perfect compliment to his six-stringed assault. Openers "Dig Your Own Grave" and "Dead in the Water" are a noticeable step up from what DevilDriver have been putting out recently. However, it's not until "Sanctified in Scars" and the title-track kick in that the record truly hits its stride, and Mangold truly makes his mark. The bouncy, squealing riff of the former recalls his recent (and rather supurb) work with Enterprise Earth, but given more room to breathe, so that the beatdowns and grooves hit even harder when not being swallowed by an abundance of technicality. Subsequently, "Strike and Kill" brings to mind the best of modern Machine Head, along with Lamb of God's recent return to form, as well as DeviDriver's own "Monsters of the Deep" in its hulking open grooves and precision thrash assault.
The new members may have injected new life into the band, but it cannot be overlooked how much Fafara is also on fire here. Although always angry, here he sounds positively volatile and—most importantly—delivering memorable hooks and catchphrases that centre the songs and make them distinguishable and recognisable within both the album and his band's broader catalogue. Songs like "Dig Your Own Grave" and "Strike and Kill" aren't nearly as powerful without Fafara out front screaming their titles at you, and while I don't really know what "Shut the Silence On" is meant to mean, it sure goes hard! "In the Moonlight" follows suite, blending its memorable, sullen refrain with a blistering pace sure to start some of the biggest circle-pits you'll ever see. "Headed for the Fall" is another bouncy one, littered with Machine Head harmonics, that brings back some of that band and Fafara's own flirtations with nu metal to excellent effect, while "Ride or Die" delivers pummeling death metal that sees new drummer Davier Pérez leading the charge in brutal fashion.
Strike and Kill's only real misstep is tenth track "Summoning Shadows", which spends half of its three-minute runtime as a mournful acoustic number before erupting into a magnificent melodeath crescendo, only to dissipate just as quickly in an anti-climactic fade-out as Fafara repeatedly screams "summoning shadows" over the top of everything. There's the skeleton of a good song there, and a more fleshed out composition could have made for a fitting climax. As is, however, it feels awkward and uneventful, especially when there's still three full songs to come. Given the slight ovelength is the album's only other potential downfall, it probably should have been cut altogether, in order to make the album even more efficiently lethal.
It may have taken a near-complete line-up change to make it happen, but DevilDriver are back with a vengeance. Strike and Kill is easily the best album they've put out since Beast (2011) and Winter Kills (2013), probably before that as well. Fans of The Fury of Our Maker's Hand (2005) and The Last Kind Words (2007) will find a lot to like here, but Strike and Kill isn't simple throwback. Mangold's guitar playing is a perfect fit that gives the band a more modern-sounding edge on top of their classic vim and vigour. Where preceding DevilDriver albums have sounded like a band out of time, attempting to recapture both a sound and era that had passed them by, Strike and Kill sounds as though the groove thrash titans haven't missed a single step.