Bible of The Devil's sixth full length release "For The Love of Thugs & Fools" on Cruz Del Sur Music shows a band unafraid to to display their roots.
In all honesty I had never heard of Bible of The Devil before this release but the press release had the magic words "two guitar attack" and "anthemic vocals" and told me I had to give this one a listen. I'm glad I did. The last release these guys had was 2008's "Freedom Metal" and it's evident they have used the intervening years very well.
Guitarist/singer Mark Hoffman's vocals sit somewhere between Udo and Ace Frehley and not in a bad way. Although I would not describe them as anthemic they fit with the subject matter of the songs and serve them well.
So what about those guitars? I hear classic hard rock and metal influences all over this album. Iron Maiden is very much in evidence here. The dual leads on "Night Street" are on example. "Anytime" and "Yer Boy" echo the timeless two guitar attack of Thin Lizzy. "Out For Blood" is a mix of old school Kiss mixed with Motley Crue.
All in all this is classic riffage that doesn't disappoint or overwhelm.
All in all this is one solid collection of songs. Mark Hoffmann states, "The few years since the last full-length have been like a dare. A dare to create a soaring, punishing rock 'n' roll record of this magnitude. It is a dare that we have been forced to answer ourselves." They have delivered on that. If I were to knock anything it would be the intro piece "Sexual Overture". In my opinion it didn't seem to connect with the track that followed and it is totally different from the rest of the disc.
For those of you that listen to lyrics, this one will give you some great stuff. These guys are from the rough side of Chicago and their songs deal with the life they see around them. There's some weighty stuff in here. "Can't Turn Off The Sun" is a good starting place to delve into the lyrical content.
So if all this sounds good to you then go grab "For The Love Of Thugs & Fools" when it gets released on May 8. Besides the aforementioned intro track there isn't a bad song on here. And be sure to keep an eye out for them on tour this year as well.
For more info on the band head to their official site or support them on Facebook
