Now that I’ve been listening to Melodic Death Metal for three years, I can truly decide what band and/or album surprised me the most. DevilDriver is one of the earlier bands from the genre I got into with their 2020 release Dealing With Demons I, which I listened to on release day while walking around my driveway after online classes. But, a little while back, I wanted to delve into the album that gave me the first hint of what DevilDriver could bring out musically. Outlaws ‘Till The End Vol. 1, combined the Melo-Death sound onto covers of old Country legends. But to cast a vote in favor or nought for this album, I must compare and contrast these tracks to originals, and as a Melodic Death Metal album as well.

“Country Heroes (Feat. Hank Williams III)”: 5

   The album comes out like a missile with this first track. Between the slimy and trashier riffs of Mike Spreitzer and Neal Tiemann. One of the standouts of the album is the production of the drums. There’s a weird low-end that feels bassy but isn’t a rattling bass. As I said, it’s weird but brings a stylistic variable to the album. Dez Fafara and Hank Williams III perfectly cover the song and create a stark-but fitting contrast of heaviness and honey-like soul. 

“Whiskey River (Feat. Randy Blythe and Mark Morton)”: 3

   Okay, DevilDriver and the two members of Lamb of God did as much as they could do. The instrumentation of this track is great, and realigns the instrumental thesis that “Country Heroes” established. But this Willie Nelson track is overly repetitive. Judging by the fact that it’s a Willie Nelson song, I’m sure it perfectly reflects what goes on in his head throughout the day.

“Outlaw Man”: 4

   One thing that has been lost in time with country music is the folk aspect of the lyricism. The early parts of the genre were based on storytelling and southern culture. Devildriver covers a handful of the most engrossing of these stories; “Outlaw Man” is the first one. Instrumentally, Spreitzer and Teimann absolutely kill it on guitar. I may be biased since the Eagles were one of the first bands to get into and hold a special place in my heart. “Outlaw Man” illustrates a rebellious, rootless individual living by their own code, embracing the freedom and isolation of a nomadic, “on the road” life, often contrasting societal expectations with personal desires, drawing parallels between old Western gunslingers and rock ‘n’ roll outlaws.

Ghost Riders in The Sky (Feat. John Carter Cash, Ana Cristina Cash and Randy Blythe)”: 5

   This Johnny Cash track was my first introduction to DevilDriver, and good Lord, what a place to start. The drums return with that similar mixing, however, with a highlight on the kicks. All of the featured vocalists present a granular country track with the powerful screams of Fafara. Cash talks about cowboys forever chasing the Devil’s herd across the sky, warning living cowboys to change their wicked ways or face the same eternal, futile punishment for their sins, rooted in Native American legend and European folklore about the Wild Hunt.

“I’m the Only Hell (Mama Ever Raised)”: 4

   Originally, I hadn’t ranked this track high, but this may be the heaviest track on the album. This Johnny Paycheck track is turned into a Blackened-Thrash anthem. Specifically, Tiemann and Spreitzer balance fast rhythm sections with Black Metal-inspired tremolo picking. In hindsight, the trem-picking helps fulfill the atmospheric aspect of the previously mentioned Johnny Cash track. Another returning component is the honey-sounding kicks that exalt the speed-metal aspect.

“If Drinking Don’t Kill Me (Her Memory Will)” (feat. Wednesday 13): 3

   This track is definitely the face of “good on paper, bad in practicality.” Obviously, all it comes down to is the original George Jones version. DevilDriver did great, and if it wasn’t for the obligation to make a cover, this definitely could have been a unique take on the track. Especially with Wednesday 13, who deepens the variation of this track.

“The Man Comes Around” (feat. Lee Ving): 5

   I’m no scientist, but there is an irrefutable pattern that I found out during the writing of this. Johnny Cash is one of the best storytellers in all of music. From the start, the song opens up with an eerie and intimidating reading of Revelations chapter six. This intimidating presence is then turned into a speedy pursuit by Tiemann and Spreitzer. Fafara digs deep to make the lyricism on behalf of Cash truly powerful. The track is heavily inspired by the Book of Revelation, envisioning Jesus Christ’s second coming as a time of ultimate judgment, where a mysterious “Man” holds everyone accountable for their deeds, deciding who is freed and who is blamed. The lyrics blend vivid Biblical imagery, like the Four Horsemen, trumpets, and angels, with Cash’s own warnings about readiness, contrasting salvation with damnation and highlighting the inevitability of reckoning. 

“A Thousand Miles from Nowhere”: 4

   What a fitting song after that masterpiece. “A Thousand Miles from Nowhere” is an odyssey-esque reflection of the West. Tiemann and Spreitzer perfectly translate the spaghetti western style and groove with Metal.T he emotional and wrathful vocals of Fafara send a message of the purity of  Dwight Yoakam’s experiences. I actually had to stop listening to this song because it made me want to watch the Fistful of Dollars series. The track explores profound isolation, heartbreak, and emotional numbness after a devastating breakup, using the metaphor of being lost in a vast space where time means nothing, reflecting a deep sense of spiritual and emotional exile, with imagery of bruised memories and a faded self, yet finding a strange, melancholy acceptance in the journey of despair itself.

“Copperhead Road” (feat. Brock Lindow): 3

   This song is interesting to me because I don’t like it, but there are a lot of elements that I adore. The hardcore-oriented choruses and the traditional Thrash Metal hits listeners like trucks. But for some reason, it’s hard to mesh with it. I highly suggest that everyone listen to this track. I think I was sensing some listen-through fatigue.

“Dad’s Gonna Kill Me” (feat. Burton C. Bell)”: 3

    In hindsight, I can definitely say that I was starting to get tired of the approach DevilDriver was taking. As of writing this, there were a few songs that either I forgot or melded into one another. It’s a middle of the road Country song as it is, but on top of that, DevilDriver’s approach is basic at best.

“A Country Boy Can Survive”: 5

   Thank goodness they picked it back up for the last few songs on the record. “A Country Boy Can Survive” is a thesis on how masterful storytelling can affect the definition of a Country song. Also, DevilDriver brings back that stylized groove metal from previous tracks like “A Thousand Miles From Nowhere.” ”A Country Boy Can Survive” is a resilient anthem celebrating rural self-reliance, tradition, and the perceived strength of country life against urban challenges, contrasting city crime and materialism with a simple, land-based, resourceful lifestyle, even touching on friendship and loss, but ultimately a proud declaration of survival through grit and heritage.

“The Ride (Feat Lee VIng)”: 4

   I have to give it up to them; they chose the perfect track to end the album. It combines a lot of my favorite aspects of the album, or by proxy, Country Music as a whole. It shows the musical literacy of DevilDriver to be able to not just combine an effective Country/Metal fusion, but also not water down the history and legacies of the figures within the genre. “The Ride” tells the story of an aspiring musician hitchhiking to Nashville who gets a ride from the ghost of country legend Hank Williams, Sr., who questions the young man about his dedication and talent, imparting wisdom about the hard road of country music, ultimately revealing his ghostly identity just as the narrator realizes the profound lesson in paying your dues.

  Overall, the album is great and, as mentioned before, is a great fusion of two genres. This album didn’t just introduce me to DevilDriver, but cemented them as a favorite of mine within the Melodic-Death Metal scene.