DEVILDRIVER's DEZ FAFARA On Upcoming Album 'Strike And Kill': 'People Are Gonna Love This Record'

In a new interview with Jai That Aussie Metal Guy, DEVILDRIVER frontman and mastermind Dez Fafara talked about the band's upcoming eleventh full-length album, "Strike And Kill", which will arrive on July 10 via Napalm Records. Joining Dez in DEVILDRIVER's current lineup are the guitar duo of Alex Lee and Gabe Mangold, drummer Davier Ortega Perez, and returning bassist Jon Miller.

Speaking about DEVILDRIVER's new single, "Dig Your Own Grave", Dez told Jai That Aussie Metal Guy (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "When I first got the music, I was just intrigued by what we were writing. And I think that everybody knew it was time to kind of go back to start a little bit. I've had Alex, my guitar player, and Davi, my drummer, have been with me a very long time now, actually. I got my original bass player back after — I don't know — a 12, 15-year hiatus; he's been gone. So him back and writing, and then I got Gabe as well, who produced the record and is playing guitar. But once we started writing, we all kind of said, 'What's the direction?' And I said, 'Look at the logo, man. The logo will tell you what we fucking need to write.' Like, period. And even for myself. So when I got the first three or four tracks, I was blown away. I was, like, 'Okay, this is where we wanna go.' And I started making voice notes for everybody, sending it, and they came back about the voice notes and said, 'Look, don't make a change. You're going the right direction.' And it just started to really fall in place, man."

Dez continued: "I feel blessed to have this group of guys around me at this time in my life after everything I've been through in life, that this is happening. And I think that watching people come to the table with this first single… I really don't read comments and shit — I don't put myself online like that — but in my ears is my managers, my label, are my bandmates, and they're, like, 'People are loving this.' And I go, 'Great. Let's give them more of the same.' So the next single that's coming is very old school, almost first-, second-record old school, and that just came out. We didn't decide to, like, 'Let's go back to start.' We just said, 'Let's write something heavy and groovy like what we are,' and that's what came out. So I think people are really gonna enjoy the second and the third single. But the best thing is this: when you get the record, you're gonna listen to it in its entirety, and at the end, you're gonna be, like, 'I wish we had more.' But there's already 13 tracks… I mean, even the label said, 'Look, we're good with 11,' and I said, 'Okay, these other two songs. You wanna leave them off?' And they were, like, 'Oh, fuck no.' I said, 'Well, then there you go.' If people are gonna spend money, let's give 'em their money's worth. And I think that's what we did with 13 tracks."

Elaborating on "Strike And Kill"'s overall presentation, Dez said:  "Look, people are gonna love this record. I love everything from the artwork to the music that I was given. I let the guys choose the song arrangements, like what's gonna go first on the record. Even the setlist, what set do you guys wanna play? And it's good for me to have a powerful team behind me, because I can sit back and go, 'No, you tell me what you wanna play. You tell me the order of the songs on the record. You guys tell me if you like the visuals that I've come up with.' And it's a powerful tool to be able to let that happen and to listen, man.

"The first time that I listened to the record in its entirety was about two weeks ago," Dez added. "And we were going through the mountains over here in California. I had no signal on my phone, which, for me, is a miracle, and I was, like, 'Great.' I got no phone calls for 45 minutes," and we put the record on. And when it was done, I actually said to my wife, who was driving, I go, 'That's it?' And she's, like, 'Yeah, that's it, man. You guys got 13 tracks.' And I was, like, 'I want more.' So that's a really good thing, I think, for sure to have. And this thing is back on track. And wait till you see it live, man. It is a no-nonsense throwdown."

When "Strike And Kill" was first announced in April, Fafara said in a statement: "My headspace hasn't changed. I have not become complacent or soft in my view of the world or in my music. Metal is our outlet as listeners and writers, so on this record we focused on 'getting it all out' lyrically, and backing those lyrics with savage, relentless music that fuels the heavy California groove like no other. DEVILDRIVER has never sounded like any other band, we do our own thing in our own way, and I'm the most proud of that.

"I'm so proud of these musicians, this music, and the vibe around this record," he added. "DEVILDRIVER sounds like no one else out there right now, we are here to strike and kill!"

"Dig Your Own Grave" was previously described as "a vitriolic onslaught of machine gun riffs and uncompromising aggression, lyrically lambasting fools responsible for their own undesirable fates."

About the track, Fafara stated: "'Dig Your Own Grave' is about how one wrong decision, one wrong move can see your whole world turned upside down, effectively 'digging' your own grave… it's that simple. It can also refer to how your decisions can fuck someone else. This is why there's the line 'Six feet ain't deep enough for you,' because only a deep, deep hole is fitting for what you've done or tried to do to others. Be careful when you choose to make decisions at midnight."

Following DEVILDRIVER's career-defining double album "Dealing With Demons Vol. 1 & 2" — with "Vol. 1" sitting at #1 at metal radio for a triumphant 15 weeks, and "Vol. 2" celebrated by internationally revered media like Metal Injection, Kerrang! and Blabbermouth, who lauded "you can't stop the unstoppable" — the band sets out on a rabid hunt with "Strike And Kill", holding the blade to your throat, and serving up that trademark DEVILDRIVER blend of melodeath elegance, blackened atmosphere, tectonic grooves, and Fafara's iconic visceral delivery.

Wasting no time, the album bursts open with the incendiary "Dig Your Own Grave", a flurry of assault rifle kicks and crunchy riffs encircle the listener casting them into the waiting abyss before transitioning into "Dead In The Water", showcasing the vibrant melodeath tapestries of master guitar duo Alex Lee and Gabe Mangold. "Sanctified In Scars" implements industrial pulsating beats and ethereal sonic textures, sanctifying Fafara's venomous voice with blackened tremolo excellence. The album’s title track, "Strike And Kill", is a reconciliation of hardships and lessons learned, built upon the backs of blisteringly technical riffage and dizzyingly swift drumming by Davier Perez. Tracks like "In The Moonlight" and "Never Coming Home" wrap listeners in serenely blissful guitarmonies, elevating the brutality with elegance and emotion. "Ride Or Die" unleashes pure metal inertia, pulling listeners in with unrelenting force. Exemplifying their technical edge with tracks like "Headed For The Fall" and "You're Just A Ghost", the band embraces mind-bendingly off-kilter patterns that spin listeners' heads. "Summoning Shadows" offers the albums longest respite from carnage, with textured acoustic guitars building tension before the band comes crashing back in with triumphant power. "Shut The Silence On" and "Oath Of Iron" get super thrashy with their ballsy riffage and blast beats, before "All Bets are Off" brings things to a cataclysmic conclusion.

"Strike And Kill" track listing:

01. Dig Your Own Grave
02. Dead In The Water
03. Sanctified In Scars
04. Strike And Kill
05. In The Moonlight
06. Ride Or Die
07. Headed For The Fall
08. Shut The Silence On
09. Never Coming Home
10. Summoning Shadows
11. You're Just A Ghost
12. Oath Of Iron
13. All Bets Are Off

Additionally, DEVILDRIVER will be touring across the western United States with UPON A BURNING BODY and OV SULFUR. Kicking off August 14 in San Diego, California, the "Strike And Kill" North American tour 2026 will hit a slew of major cities, including Dallas, Chicago, Salt Lake City, and Reno, before its conclusion on September 5 in Anaheim, California.

DEVILDRIVER is:

Dez Fafara - Vocals
Davier Ortega Perez - Drums
Jon Miller - Bass
Alex Lee - Guitar
Gabe Mangold - Guitar

Photo credit: Stephanie Cabral