There’s nothing quite like the sound of a raunchy rock and roll band in full flight, and when that band is The Devils…well, life doesn’t get much better. Since bursting out Italy in 2015 they’ve coloured our world with their parred-back, fuzzed-up brand of garage rock and songs about sex, sin and every sort of vice. Album number four finds this duo refining their sound for a hard-hitting soundtrack to the apocalypse, Let The World Burn Down.
Such is the swagger of opening track ‘Divine Is The Illusion’ that you’d be forgiven for thinking that it came from the swamps of America’s Deep South rather than the band’s native Naples. Gianni Blacula’s riff, around which the song is built, is the kind which could start fires by the sparks it emits, and it smoulders as such. When you factor in Erika Switchblade’s sultry vocals and tribal drumming, you have a heady concoction, and one that seems tailor made for a black magic ritual. As with Cream’s ‘Sunshine Of Your Love’ or Iron Butterfly’s ‘In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida’, it feels a little dangerous in playing this, as if by doing so you could summon the Goat Of Mendes.
The Devils operate as a two-piece band and there’s something about this combination, that when played right, exudes an exorbitant amount of power. When Erika’s drums and Gianni’s guitar combine on cuts such as ‘Mr Hot Stuff’ an amazing fusion takes places and the chuggy riff becomes a series of punches beating on your chest. The Devils are kind of unique in this genre, insofar as they aren’t one-trick-ponies; unlike many of their peers they don’t rely on a rote delivery, and they’re not afraid to shake things up a bit. Take ‘Til Life Do Us Part’ for example; it’s a prime piece of New Orleans blues that seems to emanate from an opium den, yet it sits next to the amphetamine blast of ‘Roar II’ exceptionally well (who says that drugs don’t mix?!).
The Devils have always been kind enough to wear their influences on their collective sleeve and the two covers on here evidence the sheer depth and breadth of their influences. Firstly, there’s Cleo Randle’s ‘Big City Lights’ on which the band put their unique (distortion pedal) stamp upon, and the same goes for ‘Teddy Boy Boogie’ (rechristened ‘Teddy Girl Boogie’), a track originally by Welsh rockers Crazy Caven ‘N’ The Rhythm Rockers, now made far more dangerous (not unlike a razor hidden in an apple). It’s testament to the quality of their own tracks that they stand proud amongst these covers, and I’m sure it’s only a matter of time until other bands cover their own ‘Horror And Desire’, which brings the album to a raucous conclusion and brings the whole thing tumbling down like a pack of cards.
When it comes to primitive rock n’ roll, it really does seem as if The Devils really do have the best tunes.
- Let The World Burn Down is released via Go Down Records and is available now.
- Official Website
Track List:
- Divine Is The Illusion
- Killer’s Kiss
- Mr Hot Stuff
- Big City Lights
- Til Life Do Us Part
- Roar II
- Shake ‘Em
- Teddy Girl Boogie
- The Last Rebel
- Horror And Desire
