'I've Never Gone There as a Writer' - DevilDriver's Dez Fafara Shares a 'First' That Makes 'Strike and Kill' One of Their Strongest Records Yet

At 11 albums in, there's still room for growth in DevilDriver and Dez Fafara reveals that one approach to their new album Strike and Kill has made this one of their strongest albums to date.

After giving his bandmates instruction to look at their DevilDriver logo and to write for it, Fafara himself accepted the challenge as well and delivered one of the more open and direct albums of their career.

"This record is about making sure that your life stays on track, stays on path and it's got a ton of lessons in it," says Fafara. "I'm gonna say that right now. Every song has a lesson in it. I've never really gone there as a writer, but I kind of said to myself, write for the logo you guys, and me personally, I'm gonna write as if it was my last record or my first record. Because those records are the most essential in your life, in your career and in your messaging, right?"

He adds, "This messaging on this record is very powerful. I'm hoping it gives people strength to kinda pull up their bootstraps and get on with life if they're going through hard times. Or if you're just having a great time in life and everything is easy, this is the one you wanna put on on a Saturday, crack a beer with friends, get a barbecue going, and listen to the new DevilDriver, Strike and Kill."

Elsewhere within the chat, Fafara digs into the working relationship with the band and in particular the strong relationship established with returning bassist Jon Miller, the impact of positivity both in his personal life as well as in the music and he also digs into several new songs from the record.

Plus, Dez discusses how his love for playing live has evolved and he shouts out several acts while sharing his belief that modern metal is alive and well.

Check out more of the chat below.

It's Full Metal Jackie and I am so psyched to welcome back to the show Mr. Dez Fafara of DevilDriver. Always great to talk to you because when we're getting you on the show, there's obviously something big happening and that thing is this new DevilDriver record, Strike and Kill. It's been an interesting few years with an overhaul of the band's lineup, but the guys really seem to be thriving and played a big part in this new album. Can you talk about finding the working dynamic on Strike or Kill and what you saw from your bandmates as this album was coming together?

The one correction is it's not an overhaul of the band, right? So Alex, my guitar player, my drummer Davi, and, is have been with me a pretty long time now. And my original bass player is back, who wrote the first five records with me. After a very long hiatus, he's come back.

The one new guy is Gabe, the guitar player. He's incredible. He also is a great producer and working with him was wonderful in the studio. He just knew how to work with me, really. I wanted things in first and second takes or I didn't want it. I wanted to really get after the fire of it, and we're not gonna sit there and labor five hours over a three-minute song. So that was fantastic.

But I think the one thing that we did say was, "Listen, we've got a lot of records. We've touched on a lot of ground." DevilDriver really doesn't sound like anybody out there. We've got our own sound. We have strayed from the path on different records, but I think that's an important thing to do is to keep art alive and to keep what you're doing fresh.

What I did say to them is I said, "Listen, look at the logo." We're all on the phone. I said, "You guys have a computer in front of you. Pull up the logo. Yeah. Write for the logo. Write for what that thing needs." I go, "I surely will do the same." And when I started getting the demos, it was very clear to me that the territory we were going was right on spot, right on the money.

Myself, when I started writing lyrics, it came very quickly to the point where I was sending them voice notes of me singing the songs, obviously in the studio, just kind of singing them on voice note. Because it was coming so quick, I was wondering if I was, "Is it coming too quick for me? Is this lazy, because it's coming out of me so hard and so quick?" And, uh, they all said the same thing: "No, don't change anything." And none of it really changed from then to the recording. So it was a great process to go through. I think we found a good stride.

I think people will absolutely love this record. If you're a fan of especially the first five or six records, you're gonna really dig into this one hard. It's getting a lot of praise and there's nothing more humbling and better than that, right? Because you work your ass off on records.

DevilDriver, "Strike and Kill"

Dez, one of the things in listening to the record is that the songwriting is pretty strong. You've got plenty to say and it's crafted well. What is said is often as important as how it sounds. You've been doing this for some time now, but do you feel it's a continual evolution as a songwriter? Are you always learning? Is there something that's particularly inspiring your writing as you approached this album?

Right. I think when you stop learning, you need to quit. So I learn every day. On this one, I really tested myself lyrically, vocally as well, in the studio vocally laying it, but lyrically really tried to craft something new for myself. I have been blessed, Jackie, for years in both of my bands, and the few members, which are very few, that have even come and gone from DevilDriver, to play with great players, right? Great people, great players.

These guys together as a team is unbelievable and it's unmistakable on this record. You know, people are kind of saying, "Oh, DevilDriver is back," and I'm like, "Well, did we ever really leave?" But I know what they're saying. They're saying the sound of what they grew up on, what they listened to, what the first maybe four to five records represented.

They're gonna get that and much more. I'm very proud of the musicianship on this record. I've got some amazing players. My drummer is probably one of the best drummers in the industry. Both of my guitar players, I would put them up against anybody. My bass player, Jon Miller, I'm so glad he's back and we're best friends. He is an absolute monster onstage. We call him Jon Miller, the Shark Killer. That guy is just a monster. So I'm surrounded by great guys, great players.

We've got a great record. I'm really looking forward to it. We wanted a summer release. I think this is one of those records, when it cracks out, when it drops and cracks, people are gonna grab that thing, go to the barbecue, go to the pool party, go to their friend's house, when they're with other people, they're gonna be like, "Have you heard this?" "No." "Let me put this on." And they'll turn it on, and it's one of those records you wanna listen to in its entirety. We were only gonna put 10 songs on and we realized that it would be too short, so that it's got 13 tracks.

You never once say to yourself, "Okay, let's go. Okay, skip to the next track." Like, you never do that with this record and that's a fantastic thing to have with art. Some of my favorite records out there you say to yourself, "You know, I'm not really into this song. Skip to the next track," but you're not gonna get that here. So I'm very pleased with the musicianship and everything around it. I cannot wait to share the whole record with the world.

When this album was announced, right out of the gate we had the banger that was released, "Dig Your Own Grave," which is a powerful statement on the impact that decisions can have and the repercussions that come from it. This obviously came from somewhere, and while it may have been inspired by a person or particular instance, it's a broad enough message that can apply to a larger audience. From what you're seeing in the world, is this a warning call warranted? Is there a need for more civility and accountability in our actions?

This is always the truth in life, right? And I think that I don't mean to be cryptic, however, I just don't want to give up the ghost on what or who the song could be about. Or what this notion could be about. But you do have to watch your actions in life, right?

You make the wrong left turn and all of a sudden it's four, five, six years of a headache or of danger ahead. So you've gotta be careful with the moves that you make in life and always think about how it's going to affect someone else, how it's gonna affect yourself, your life. And when you make a move, be prepared to stand by it because it may take you into rocky waters and you'll have to raise the flag and give no quarter. That is certainly where I'm at right now. Raise the flag, give no quarter, we're going to war. And Strike and Kill is essentially that.

This record is about making sure that your life stays on track, stays on path and it's got a ton of lessons in it. I'm gonna say that right now. Every song has a lesson in it. I've never really gone there as a writer, but I kind of said to myself, write for the logo you guys, and me personally, I'm gonna write as if it was my last record or my first record. Because those records are the most essential in your life, in your career and in your messaging, right?

So this messaging on this record is very powerful. I'm hoping it gives people strength to kinda pull up their bootstraps and get on with life if they're going through hard times. Or if you're just having a great time in life and everything is easy, this is the one you wanna put on on a Saturday, crack a beer with friends, get a barbecue going, and listen to the new DevilDriver, Strike and Kill.

DevilDriver, "Dig Your Own Grave"

Dez, another strong track on the record is "Dead in the Water." Fans are comparing it to some of the work on the early albums DevilDriver did and you yourself have spoken about the positive messaging. Sometimes you know you've got something special on your hands. Did that feeling hit you with "Dead in the Water"? And what is your response to how fans have been embracing it?

I actually did. And I think by me saying, "Listen, guys, when we write, let's write for this logo. Let's write for what this thing needs," we obviously got a few old school tracks out of that.

Now, you don't know it at the time when you hear the track until the vocals get laid on it. And I think this was just one of those ones where I even said, "Are you..." to my drummer who kind of runs the band with me right now. I call him number one, right? Like, he's my number one dude. We run it together. And I said to him, "Are you sure you want this to be the second track?" And he's like, "You have to do this as the second track. People will feel the old school vibe." This is very much along the lines of the first three records. You're gonna get some more of this on the record as well.

And I think "Dead in the Water" is a track that will resonate with people if you get down to the vocals and you get down to the lyrics of what it's about. And essentially it's the same thing, right? If you make bad moves in life you're all of a sudden gonna find yourself dead in the water. In the chorus I say, you know, "Eyes, eyes," like as in your eyes, "Eyes stay locked when the ground gives away. Another day, another dollar." Well, no matter what goes on in your life, you still gotta pick up, go to work, get it done, come home, do what you gotta do and pull your bootstraps up and get on with it and that's what this song is about. It resonates strength and it gives people hopeful attitude and that's where I come from.

Anybody that knows me, has heard my interviews, knows I've had a real rough life in my past, especially when I was younger and I live in a very positive place because that's the place you need to be in and that's the mindset you need to be in to get through life and Strike and Kill carries that all the way through.

DevilDriver, "Dead in the Water"

Dez, we talked a little earlier about the DevilDriver band before, and I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the return of Jon Miller. It's been a long journey for DevilDriver, but what has it meant to not only have Jon's talent back in the lineup, but also have someone who has that reference point of what this band started out as back in the day?

Right. It means the world to me. Jon and I were always the closest. He shared all the early road miles with us. He slept on the floor in the hotels and everything with me. He knows where this band came from. He knows where we went and he knows where we've gotta go in the future.

And the conversation with him and I when he called and I don't mind saying it. I think men admit the realism of life, but him and I were in tears. We were in tears for an hour talking to each other. And it was like having a long lost brother, family member actually be found on a desert island. That's how I relate to it.

Just having that guy come back in the fold, he's such a positive beacon of light in this world that we're in and in music itself. And he himself wrote a lot on this record and helped guide the process. I said, "No, no, no, no, let's not go there. Let's go here." I know he was very excited when he was sending demos to me. He was very excited for me to hear them. So much so, he would send me a demo and be like, "Have you heard it?" I'm like, "No, man, I'm still driving. Like, let me get home. Let me get in my fortress of solitude, kind of in my studio where I can pull it up." And then when I did and I would hit him back and say, "This stuff is amazing," he would be so grateful that I was feeling the same way that he was.

So him being back in the band has absolutely anchored us and it's ... I can't wait to move in the future. These guys are already writing right now. So that'll tell you where we're at. We're on this train right now that's incredible. It feels like the first years of DevilDriver for me, the kind of train that we're on, the positivity that's going on within the band, the writers that I'm surrounded with and the direction that we're going.

DevilDriver doesn't sound like anyone. I've said it once, I'll say it again and that for me is the most important thing out there is that we have our own sound and we do our own thing.

Dez, these last few years you've had your own health issues for a while and as we found out earlier this year, Mikey of Coal Chamber has gone through his cancer battle. These types of things tend to make you take stock. What does it mean to you to have both of these bands and the relationships be what they are at this stage in your life and how do you feel about the future of both bands?

When we speak about Coal Chamber, we speak about Mike. Mike joined the band when he was 16. Now he's in his 40s. He just survived stage four cancer that most people wouldn't. He just got the clean slate only maybe a month or two ago. I called him every single day. There wasn't a day I didn't call him. We got to be so very tight.

In the beginning of Coal Chamber, of course because of the age difference, we toured together, we were friends, but we were never tight tight. He couldn't understand I had a wife, I had children at home. He couldn't relate to that because the kid was 17, 18, 19, 20 years old. Now he's got a house. He's a wonderful father. His kid, Bash, is absolutely amazing. He's like straight A's. His wife is wonderful.

Having him survive cancer is absolutely amazing and I watched the positivity. I watched him go to work when he had chemo. I watched him work on art with me when he had chemo. And knowing that positivity and those kind of things can get you through, I saw it firsthand with this kid. I still call him a kid know what I mean? But I saw that.

And there has been health challenges with me. There's been health challenges with my wife. You either bounce back and survive or you woe is me, woe is me, and that will drag you down. That will take your energies down twice as hard as anything else, you know? And especially when you're going through something like cancer. Everybody has a family member that has gone through cancer, lost someone to cancer, knows someone that's going through cancer.

Going through it with my wife, I watched her ... This is how Anastasia deals with... Let me just tell you how she deals with things. She's going through cancer. She knows she's coming up on surgeries. I come home, she's got the record player on listening to Donna Summer on roller skates in my house roller skating around. The girl just is the most positive person I've ever seen.

So this whole conversation is really based on living life properly, looking not too far in the future, not looking at the past, trying to be present for those people around you. And dealing with two bands, I'm very fortunate right now that everybody gets along, everybody's having a good time. There's a lot of positivity around everyone.

I just did two festivals last month where I played one day with Coal Chamber, the next day with DevilDriver, then the other one DevilDriver first, Coal Chamber first. So everybody was around at the same time. Watching all of my band members have conversations and talk and meet in catering, that was the highlight of my life, right? And I wanted to bite that off. I wanted to try to do something that not a lot of guys have done, which is to play with both my bands on a weekend and it went fantastic. They all loved it. I just feel blessed. I feel humbled to be in this position.

The only reason I'm here is that there's fans of music who still wanna hear me, still wanna listen to me. I'm only gonna be here a short time. I don't know how long I'm gonna be on this planet and I'm certainly not gonna go onstage if I can't kill it. If I can't give it 110 percent and take it to the 20-year-old kid that's going on before me or after me, if I can't take him out, I'll quit and I certainly feel like my knife is sharp at this point. So let's go. Let's go in for the jugular.

My drummer liked to say it's like we are a jaguar in the jungle. We're coming out stalking, and you're not gonna see us until it's too late for you." That's where this thing is going right now.

This summer finds you back on the road with Upon A Burning Body and Ov Sulfur. Obviously, the studio is its own thing, but what is your love for the live experience? Is it the same or has your approach for playing live changed from when you were just starting out?

Great question, Jackie. Okay, so first of all, people need to know that I can hear the tour bus coming a mile away. The tour bus usually comes to my house and picks me up. When I hear the generator out front, I get butterflies in my stomach the same way that I did in my 20s.

I carry a humbleness. I carry a non-egotistical view around me, but when you hand me the microphone, it's on! Get the hell out of the way right now. It's coming. So I love playing live. There's nothing better than having a crowd in front of you.

I don't care if there's 4 or 500 people in the room or like the festivals we're getting ready to do, 60, 70, 80,000 people. The energy is the same. If I can look in the eyes of people when I'm playing music, that's the actual epitome of what it is to be a musician.

You can spend your whole life in the studio, but until you get out and you play live show after show after show in a different city every day, maybe he tour bus may break down, maybe not. I have a great time hanging out with my crew and other crews, other bands.

I think Upon A Burning Body's a fantastic band. I think Ov Sulfur is doing something so killer. Very much love having them come out on the road with us. We just added Cultus Black. You should check them out as well. They're fantastic. They've toured with Cradle of Filth and a lot of other bands. They're great.

So I just look forward to a nice, strong summer tour. And it's not too many dates for me, right? It's like 16 or 20 dates, something like that. I normally go out for about 40 shows. But I just wanted to kind of touch the water, like let's break it in right now and then we're gonna start running really hard. We've got a lot coming at the end of the year. We've got a lot coming next year as well. Some big festivals coming with Coal Chamber in October, Aftershock we're doing. We're doing Sick New World. And it's looking like we're gonna add a Halloween show with a bunch of other big bands, very special bands in Orange County. So listen for that. Keep your ear to the ground for that.

Dez, as someone with an eye on music, are there newer acts that are grabbing your attention these days? Do you feel good about the state of metal and the new bands that are coming along?

There are so many killer new bands. And yes, I have my ear to the ground. You could name any single band that's out there right now and doing their thing. And I think that's the one question I get asked all the time. Like, "What's the state of metal?" And it's like, the state of metal is well.

Kids, and when I say that, I mean under 20 or under 22, like they're out there doing it. And they're not trying to go radio. They're not trying to build their presence to make it big. They're doing their art for what they're doing it. And if it takes off, then that's a great thing.

Like a band like Ov Sulfur did it just that way. In recent like years, Lorna Shore has come up hard and they did their thing on their own ground. Great guys. I've obviously met them several times. But I think heavy music is alive and well.

READ MORE: Dez Fafara Shouts Out the 'Best Metal Band on Earth'

I don't agree with the Gene Simmons dynamic of rock is dead. I surely know what he's talking about when he's talking about Spotify and this other stuff, right? But I think that it's actually the opposite. I think it's alive and well. I think it's gonna get heavier.

I think heavy music's actually gonna get heavier and you're seeing it getting heavier. I mean, look at the bill that we're taking out. Quite clearly a band like Ov Sulfur is heavier than a DevilDriver. We're a groove metal band. And I like taking out those kinds of acts.

I personally listen to a lot of real heavy music. So yeah, the state of music is well and alive in the heavy metal genre, for sure.

Thanks to DevilDriver's Dez Fafara for the interview. Be sure to pick up Strike and Kill. You can stay up to date with the band through their website, Facebook and Instagram. Find out where you can hear Full Metal Jackie's weekend radio show here.

Below, Dez Fafara names his 11 favorite groove metal albums.