https://www.high-endrolex.com/18

Bible of the Devil, Feel It: Speed of Night

bible of the devil feel it

Recorded over a period of six months in the band’s native Chicago, Bible of the Devil‘s self-released Feel It arrives some 20 years after the band got their start, and 19 after their debut album, None More Raw. It is their eighth album overall and their first since that debut to be independently issued, the band forming their own Bible of the Devil Recordings imprint to handle pressing after releasing three full-lengths through Cruz Del Sur. Those records, 2006’s The Diabolic Procession, 2008’s Freedom Metal (discussed here) and 2012’s For the Love of Thugs and Fools (discussed here), comprise something of an (un)holy trinity throughout which the band solidified the style they began to develop on 2002’s Firewater at My Command, 2003’s Tight Empire and 2005’s Brutality, Majesty, Eternity, and some seven years after their last outing, Feel It arrives as just the second album of their second decade. They had a split out with Leeches of Lore (review here) in 2017, but compared to the stretch from 2002-2008 in which they issued five LPs, the four-piece’s general lack of output feels striking.

The effect that has, however, is to make Feel It seem all the more like a special occasion. It was hard to know if Bible of the Devil would put out another record, and not only have they done that in this 41-minute nine-tracker co-produced and mixed by Sanford Parker, but they take advantage of the opportunity to tear it up in classic fashion. Emphasis on the word “classic.” The cornerstone of Bible of the Devil‘s sound has long been its dual-guitar attack, and even as guitarist Chris Grubbs makes his debut here alongside guitarist/vocalist Nate Perry, taking on the role formerly occupied by Mark Hoffmann, the essential character of guitar-led, classic metal-influenced heavy rock and roll is consistent, led by the riffs and solos and propelled by bassist/backing vocalist Darren Amaya and drummer Greg Spalding, who is the last remaining founder of the band. Grubbs, whose status as the new guy on Feel It is somewhat tempered by the fact that he’s been in the band for upwards of six years, is of course well-integrated into the mix and paired well with Perry, who readily takes on a frontman role for cuts like “The Downtown Boogie” or the earlier “Ride Steel,” which sweeps in from the intro “The Light” — uh, hey guys, you spelled “night” wrong — and gives Feel It a righteous uptempo kick at the outset that sets the standard for the rest of what follows even as subsequent songs add breadth to the tones and methods established early.

For what it’s worth, the title Feel It comes across more as an invitation than a command, and while Bible of the Devil are somewhat prone to a tongue-in-cheek presentation — their ongoing penchant for songs about “the night” manifests here with “(Love at) The Speed of Night,” which follows “Ride Steel” — they may have been laughing about it at the time they were recording, but there’s little doubt in listening that they were also into what they were doing, or, feeling it, if you prefer. “Ride Steel” and “(Love at) The Speed of Night” and “Lifeline” form a salvo that puts the emphasis right where it belongs in their sound: on Iron Maiden and Thin Lizzy.

bible of the devil

Even as they scale back the pace a bit in the transition from the “(Love at) The Speed of Night” to “Lifeline,” thereby giving Amaya‘s bass a chance to shine in more of a swinging groove, they maintain their communion with their root influences, and as album-centerpiece “Idle Time” moves further into a ’70s vibe and makes its way toward a falsetto-topped crescendo, the NWOBHM energy holds firm even as they shift the balance in their approach from one side to the other. Bible of the Devil have never wanted for chemistry or songwriting, and maybe it’s just been so long since For the Love of Thugs and Fools, but the tightness of the material seems to make Feel It all the more urgent in its affect. As “Iron Ego” turns back more toward the biker metallurgy of “Ride Steel,” and sets its guitars to soar all the while, the good time being had doesn’t undercut the spirit of necessity for what they’re doing. Bible of the Devil didn’t need to put out another record from a business standpoint. It’s not like it’s paying the bills. But this is a record they very clearly felt like they had to make on a creative level, and that sense of this-needs-to-happen is emphasized not only in the faster material like the 2:55 scorcher “Hard Club” that follows “Iron Ego” and precedes “The Downtown Boogie,” but everywhere throughout Feel It. And true to the title, it’s palpable.

Like “Ride Steel” and “(Love at) The Speed of Night” at the outset, “The Downtown Boogie” and closer “Ultra Boys” form a concluding duo of marked purpose, the former standing as one of the most effective Iron Lizzy realizations they’ve ever had and the latter set to a rhythm that’s a hook in itself as Spalding‘s snare seems to beg for an audience to follow along clapping. Gang vocals and a potent hook follow as Bible of the Devil bring the guitars in and out while Amaya‘s bass serves as the foundation of the verses. Leads a-plenty ensue, gang vocals ensue, and they finish in top fashion with heat-blister soloing and a sudden drop to silence that’s only missing the applause after to let the listener know the set is done.

I won’t claim to know what Bible of the Devil‘s plans are, but the fact that Feel It has come together so long after the preceding LP and the lineup change would seem to speak as well to the fact that this is a record they needed to make on a creative level. It may be that it will kick off a new era of productivity for them — they certainly sound like they still have plenty of gas in the tank, as it were — or it may be that these songs have been assembled as their final blowout, one last chance to live up to the title and put everything they have into the music. Either way, Feel It stands as a testament to the force that Bible of the Devil have always been at their best, and its renewed commitment to who they are as a band is as refreshing as their solos are crisp. If in fact they are inviting you to feel what they’re feeling, they’ve absolutely laid it all out and made the most compelling case possible for doing just that.

Bible of the Devil, Feel It (2019)

Bible of the Devil on Thee Facebooks

Bible of the Devil on Instagram

Bible of the Devil on Bandcamp

Tags: , , , , ,

Leave a Reply