California metallers DEVILDRIVER have entered Audiohammer Studios in Sanford, Florida to begin recording their upcoming sixth album for a tentative August 2013 release via Napalm Records.

In a recent interview with Loudwire, DEVILDRIVER frontman Dez Fafara stated about the music direction of the band's next CD, "Every record is different. That being said, I thought 'Pray For Villains' was kind of an out-of-the-box record for us. I thought 'Beast' was a weird out-of-the-box record for us. We've kind honed back in to where we are. This new record sounds a lot like the first three records. It's got an intense groove to it, and I'm really happy. The writing is going extremely well. That being said, I think we've laid back on our laurels right now and be like, 'We're a groove band.' The fans started calling us 'the groove machine, The California groove machine.' Everybody needs a title; we'll take that one and we're going to give them that on the new record, for sure."

Regarding the band's split with longtime record label Roadrunner and new deal with Napalm, Dez said: "When the whole folding of Roadrunner was happening, they were … letting a bunch of other people go. I had been there a long time. I think they decided, I decided, we all decided that it was just time to part ways. Napalm has a massive amount of passion for heavy metal, they love the band. When we met with the owner, he was like, 'I love the band.' He knew songs and it was like, okay, this is a guy who's entrenched in our music so we want him behind it."

He continued, "A lot of people are afraid of moving into a new house, but it's awesome to do and decorate it new and make it happen again, make it feel alive so that's what's happening with DEVILDRIVER and Napalm right now. We're excited for the record, they're excited for the record. I think Napalm needs a flagship in the United States and I think we could be it for them and I think their press people and they think we could be it for them, too. We're going to go gunnin' with this next record and see the numbers. I'm predicting both higher sales and a higher chart position than what Roadrunner offered us. So we'll see."

DEVILDRIVER's fifth album, "Beast", sold a little over 11,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 42 on The Billboard 200 chart.