Devildriver
Preview at the Venue
Mike Wärkentin

Oh you’ll see Opeth — but not before DevilDriver hammers you into a bloody pulp.

That’s the beauty of a modern metal show. No longer do you have to listen to a string of tattooed mofos play death metal in advance of a death metal headliner. Nowadays, bangers are getting a little variety from their villains.

Skeptical? Show up to The Venue on March 5 to take in the wandering, melodic goth metal of Opeth — then start thrashing when DevilDriver lights it up for 40 minutes.

DD frontman Dez Fafara believes the two bands fit together well, even though one is a heavier version of early Pink Floyd and the other is a high-octane punisher.

“We’ve toured with Opeth before, and not only did we make great friends with them but it went over well,” Fafara says while loading into a New York club to open for In Flames.

“So, y’know, what’s good for their fans is good for ours, obviously. That’s what’s killer. That’s what’s important. Everybody musically is getting something really cool when they come to a show and see Opeth and DevilDriver together.”

Then, as if to emphasize his eclectic tastes, Fafara starts talking about Johnny Cash — whom he thanks in the liner notes for DD’s sophomore disc, The Fury of Our Maker’s Hand.

“Now it seems like every metal guy is saying that he’s a fan of Johnny Cash, which for me is awesome,” he says. “It’s like, ‘Well, you finally got around to knowing that it’s OK to not say you’re a purist.’

“The guy that says ‘All I listen to is metal all day long’ is the biggest fuckin’ liar ever. And I’ve never been that guy. If you go back in my history, I’m an eclectic dude. I mean, I love all music, from goth to black metal to country.”

That’s true. Fafara broke into the scene in 1997 with Coal Chamber, an L.A.-based outfit that blended metal, hardcore, hip hop and goth/industrial sounds and was sometimes likened to Korn. The band was signed to RoadRunner and made a name for itself on the OzzFest circuit, releasing four albums along the way.

Things went bad for Coal Chamber in 2002, especially when guitarist Meegs Rascon clubbed Fafara in the head with his guitar at a show in Lubbock, Tex. The band officially broke up in 2003, and Fafara soon united with guitarists Evan Pitts and Jeff Kendrick, bassist Jon Miller and drummer John Boecklin to form DevilDriver.

The quintet released a self-titled album later in ’03, but it wasn’t until Pitts was punted in favour of Mike Spreitzer that the band clicked.

With everyone finally on the same page, DevilDriver proceeded to make The Fury..., a heavy-hitting disc that ditches any trappings of nü metal in favour of absolute scorched-earth devastation. Furthermore, the band is taking the hardcore way to the top: they’re touring non-stop while raising 10 middle fingers to mass marketing.

“DevilDriver has to stay on a certain path, and that is an uncompromising heavy metal path, that we never compromise to get on the radio, to get MTV airplay. We don’t want to do that. We’re going to do it our way.”