“We tour more than any fucking metal band out there. If you
don’t believe me, check our web site.” Dez insisted as he slammed
open the fragile tour bus bedroom door. Like the introductions of
soul legend James Brown, let me introduce to you, the hardest
working metal band in show business: DevilDriver.
DevilDriver formed in 2003 in the wake of Coal Chamber’s
ashes. Frontman Dez Fafara decided that he was no longer
interested in Coal Chamber’s direction and no longer enjoyed
himself, so he sought out to create a new venture that allowed him
to create what he wanted, a radio unfriendly blast of metal. He then
hooked up with guitarists Evan Pitts and Jeff Kendrick, bassist Jon
Miller, and drummer John Boecklin to form Deathride. Deathride
eventually became DevilDriver. Taking their name from a bell that
Italian witches would use to drive away evil spirits, the band seems
to invite more evil than they drive away. After the negative critical
reaction to their first album, Evan Pitts, who wrote most of the
material on the first record, left the band. He was replaced by
guitarist Mike Spreitzer, who has taken the role and helped bring the
band to new heights.
On a fittingly rainy, dreary day in Seminole, Florida, DevilDriver
set up their metal circus in the parking lot of Boomerz Boiler Room.
I climbed aboard their bus to get a few words out of Mike.
don’t believe me, check our web site.” Dez insisted as he slammed
open the fragile tour bus bedroom door. Like the introductions of
soul legend James Brown, let me introduce to you, the hardest
working metal band in show business: DevilDriver.
DevilDriver formed in 2003 in the wake of Coal Chamber’s
ashes. Frontman Dez Fafara decided that he was no longer
interested in Coal Chamber’s direction and no longer enjoyed
himself, so he sought out to create a new venture that allowed him
to create what he wanted, a radio unfriendly blast of metal. He then
hooked up with guitarists Evan Pitts and Jeff Kendrick, bassist Jon
Miller, and drummer John Boecklin to form Deathride. Deathride
eventually became DevilDriver. Taking their name from a bell that
Italian witches would use to drive away evil spirits, the band seems
to invite more evil than they drive away. After the negative critical
reaction to their first album, Evan Pitts, who wrote most of the
material on the first record, left the band. He was replaced by
guitarist Mike Spreitzer, who has taken the role and helped bring the
band to new heights.
On a fittingly rainy, dreary day in Seminole, Florida, DevilDriver
set up their metal circus in the parking lot of Boomerz Boiler Room.
I climbed aboard their bus to get a few words out of Mike.
- “[The tour’s] been great. We sold out the House of Blues in
L.A., which is kind of my home town.” Mike smiled as if
this was one of his goals. As great as it was to sell out in L.
A., Mike said that Australia’s “the best place I’ve ever
been.”
- DevilDriver has been a part of two Ozzfest outings,
2004 and 2007. They don’t have any plans of doing
the tour again, but Mike said that they won’t rule it
out. “We get to meet a lot of bands, meet a lot of
people, and make a lot of new friends. We get to play
during the day, but I’d prefer playing at night. A tour
like this is almost easier because we get the best
- dressing room, we get to soundcheck. Tours
like this are also great because we’re not in the
middle of nowhere. With Ozzfest, you’re out
in the middle of nowhere, and you have to wait
until the day after to go to a WalMart.”
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