Review Summary: Device's debut is a solid and tight album, one that sounds more familiar than it should.
Possibly one of the most hyped projects to arrive out of mainstream metal, David Draiman’s long-in-the-works industrial project
Device has gathered a huge amount of attention since its announcement following the beginning of
Disturbed’s hiatus in 2012. Setting his most popular band aside, Draiman teamed up with Geno Lenardo, formerly of
Filter, to compose the debut album of a side project, one that Disturbed apparently just couldn’t handle. Along came Device. Device has been described by Draiman as an industrial project, one more in the vein of Ministry, and to a lesser extent, Nine Inch Nails. While Draiman has been making a huge effort to distinguish Device from his more prominent band, his efforts aren’t put into legitimate effect. Device’s debut album shares more properties with Disturbed than Draiman wants to admit. Don’t expect any comfort zones to be abandoned here.
Songs like the first single “Vilify” do cast a mighty cloud over the band’s sound, separating it from the heavy, faster-paced metal of Disturbed with ferocious chugs and rhythmic grinds of guitars (courtesy of guitarist Geno Lenardo) instead of intricate guitar melodies and rapid-fire solos. As far as the musical stances go,
Device harkens back to the days when Disturbed was considered “nu-metal”, where rhythm and groove were the name of the game instead of metal virtuosity and intricacy. The opener “You Think You Know”, while not the industrial-focused revolution promised by Draiman, still manages to hold the same amount of hooky metal choruses that have made the band’s members’ former projects work out so well. Sadly, Lenardo’s influence, outside of a few musical moments in songs like “Haze”, is rather scarce. The album would’ve been much more interesting had his experiences in Filter been implemented more into the final product. Instead, the album sounds more like Draiman’s band, instead of a steady collaboration between the two artists.
Draiman’s vocal style, on the other hand, is too similar to his work in Disturbed to make any significant distance from the sound. While it doesn’t reach out as far back as the rhythmic rap-influence of
The Sickness, many of the songs could easily be compared to those found on
Indestructible or
Asylum. That being said, Draiman still retains a considerable amount of skill in his voice. He can sing melodically and cleanly, but knows when to lay down the heavier vocals when the time is right. You won’t find any of the unintelligible grunts and growls of
The Sickness on Device; Draiman focuses more on singing than screaming, which does add texture to the album instead of sheer, thunderous heaviness. That being said, it still sounds too much like Disturbed, which is a massive missed opportunity for the band to try something new. Draiman’s skill isn’t the major issue here; it’s his hesitance to step outside his comfort zone that makes Device’s debut such a disappointment.
Device’s debut, for better or worse, takes a considerable amount of liberties from the guest appearances on the album. These appearances are very hit and miss, with many of the hits coming from the seasoned and experienced musicians like Black Sabbath’s Geezer Butler or Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello. Lzzy Hale’s appearance on the Lita Ford/Ozzy Osbourne cover “Close My Eyes Forever” feels unquestionably forced for a song that doesn’t blend in with the rest of the album anyway, while other contributions like System of a Down’s Serj Tankian’s on “Out of Line” are nowhere near as apropos on Device’s style (Tankian’s tenor sounds very out of place among the crunchy, rhythm-focused guitars). Shockingly, Avenged Sevenfold’s M. Shadows makes a respectable contribution to “Haze”, where his otherwise grating voice mixes into the background behind Draiman’s singing just enough to make the harmony sound unique. Rounding out the guest appearances is Glenn Hughes formerly of Deep Purple and Black Sabbath, though his performance sounds more honorary than progressive, giving the vocals a solid range and melody, but nothing too unique to write home about.
Device doesn’t use the guest appearances as a crutch, as some are actually very well-implemented, but it could’ve used a bit more refinement and careful placement to make them feel more than just a handful of guest appearances.
Device’s debut album is not bad by any means, but it doesn’t fulfill the experimental and lofty promises that the band has created during its development. It’s not an industrial album, no matter how many times Draiman may say that it is. No amount of grinding guitars can shed the skin of Draiman’s inability to change his vocal style for a new genre or Lenardo’s restricted musicianship which is cruelly under-utilized. However,
Device still manages to hold some solid metal tracks, even if some of the guest appearances miss their mark. It’s an album that holds true to the structure and resolve of alternative metal, but that’s the biggest problem. For a band so hyped with a promise for expansion beyond its members’ past endeavors, Device play it too safe, relying on the musicians’ laurels instead of treading new ground in a new world to explore.
Device will more than likely appeal to fans already enamored with Disturbed and Filter (though more the former than the latter), and while that’s not necessarily a problem (especially when the songwriting is this solid), you can’t help but feel a shade of déj* vu by the album’s conclusion.
