It’s been two years since Howard Jones left Killswitch Engage, and a year since the first recordings started, but the wait is finally over. Devil You Know have officially released their new album The Beauty of Destruction and it really showcases the amazing talents brought to the stage with this band.
Devil You Know is a super-group including Howard Jones taking up vocals (Ex-Killswitch Engage, Blood Has Been Shed), Francesco Artusato on guitar (All Shall Perish, The Francesco Artusato Project) and John Sankey destroying the drums (Devolved, Fear Factory, Divine Heresy). The group formed when Artusato and Sankey wished to step out from their extreme metal backgrounds. Jones joined the group in late 2012 and “a creative ideal began to solidify”. The group first met up and started the first recording for the album in 2013 along with Ryan Wombacher (Bleeding Through) and Roy Lev-Ari. With that much experience there was little doubt to begin with that The Beauty of Destruction would be anything but a killer album, and trust us it is.
The Beauty of Destruction opens up with face melting metal that takes you back to the way it used to be (and should be). The album uses simplicity and brutality in a beautiful blend. The group doesn’t try to use any overly intricate backing music or crazy tempos. It’s just super heavy riffs, killer blast beats, and Jones’ signature screams offset by his silky smooth, soulful singing voice. The album also delivers a huge variety, as compared to most act these days. The guitar work is stunning, hosting big spider wed leads and solos, and the drum work on this album is top notch giving us the perfect fills, super heavy and pounding when it needs to be and technically melodic when it doesn’t.
The Beauty of Destruction is a strong piece from some of the best in the field, and deserves a 9/10.
