The standard in metal right now is a new album every two years, with three years still falling under the "fairly unsurprising" umbrella. DevilDriver frontman Dez Farfara disagrees with that standard and says metal bands should release a new album every 15 to 18 months, or about a year and a half apart. Farfara is definitely practicing what he preaches with DevilDriver considering they just released Outlaws 'Til The End: Vol. 1 last week and have two albums planned for both 2019 and 2020.
"We’re in the studio right now recording 25 songs for a double record that will be a concept– a double album concept record staggered release. So you’re going to get a release every 15-18 months from DevilDriver, from here on out in my career. Part of the reason is that a lot of people are really saying “hey, a lot of people aren’t going to heavy metal shows anymore, heavy metal’s not selling, metal and rock are taking a big hit”, which is true.
So, if you leave a plant and don’t water it…you water it every 4 years, 5 years, make a record every 4 or 5 years, don’t you think that plant is going to die? So, what I’m saying to everybody in the scene right now, if you make a record every 3, 4, 5 years, you need to kick it up, get with me, get it every 15 months to 2 years, start building this scene back up. All of us, all of us are responsible. So that’s what DevilDriver is doing right now and I’m making a concerted effort to kick it up.”
Fafara goes on to call EP and single releases "a total waste of time," a statement that got inadvertently backed up by Nine Inch Nails mastermind Trent Reznor recently. He adds that releasing an album also doesn't have to be a major and lengthy piece of work, which I personally agree with. Sure, maybe you and your band can write 15 songs, but does an album need to be 15 songs? Why not just roll with maybe eight or nine songs that clock in at about 30 or 40 minutes, call it a full length and move on?
Basically brevity is the key, according to Dez. Make an album that's concise and don't keep everyone waiting.
