Deathproof – “Evolve or Die” [Album Review]

Deathproof’s latest record is dark, heavy and aggressive. There’s quite a lot of Lamb of God in Evolve or Die’s sound, but it’s not quite as guttural or quite as memorable. There’s plenty of groove here, thanks to its endless chunky riffs, but it falls short in comparison to Lamb of God in most areas.

Take the vocals, for example. Daniel Mattingly has quite the roar on him, but it is a touch dull compared to Randy Blythe’s impressive range. I know it’s unfair to match a band who are on just their second record to one who have taken the metal world by the horns for years, but just one listen to “Voices (Breakdown Manual)” and you’ll immediately hear the comparisons. Indeed, “Voices (Breakdown Manual)” is a fantastic track, kicking in with a stunningly chunky riff that never dies down.

And “never dying down” is a trait that runs throughout Evolve or Die’s eight brutal tracks. There are moments of clean singing here, but it never slows down. It’s solid, heavy groove metal throughout. The only real gripes I have with the record are in the clean vocals. In “Demons”, for instance, you will hear a good amount of clean singing and it takes away from the track monumentally. The clean delivery just isn’t very good – the album would be better without any singing. Mattingly’s harsh vocals are quality enough throughout.

Evolve or Die is a quality heavy, chunky groove metal album along the lines of Lamb of God. While it doesn’t quite live up to the peer it so wishes to emulate, it is a good record ruined only by some poor clean vocals that take away from the brutal sound.

Evolve or Die Track Listing:

01. No Way
02. Voices (Breakdown Manual)
03. Demons
04. The Prey Becomes the Hunter
05. Unrest Sleep
06. Evolve or Die
07. Poisoned World
08. Cosmic Ball

Run Time: 35:43
Release Date: November 24, 2017

Check out a teaser of the single “The Prey Becomes the Hunter” here.