Given his recent revelations of reaching the brink after leaving Killswitch Engage, the metal community realised how lucky it was to still have Howard Jones with us, let alone making great records.
Last year’s debut full-length, The Beauty Of Destruction, was a competent melding of minds full of gusto and purpose, but They Bleed Red is a far more focused, intense effort that shows Devil You Know are a band worthy of their status. Opener Consume The Damned is a clear statement of intent, bulldozing its way into view with muscular riffs and Howard Jones’s monstrous vocals dominating all in their path.
The rhythm section takes centre stage on the blistering Stay Of Execution, while Francesco Artusato’s lead work throws all manner of tones and sounds into the mix, opting for mood and textures rather than going for hackneyed riff-and-hook combos. It’s a style that suits Howard’s melancholic, despairing vocals and lyrics that bare all in a show of uncanny vulnerability.
While the band prove they can throw down with the best of them on the likes of Master Of None, it’s the chillingly honest, delicate *Let The *Pain Take Hold that will really make your hairs stand up.
