Metal Band DevilDriver Announce Outlaw Country Album With Hank Williams III
The link between punk rock and country music has been celebrated plenty over the years, but metal and country – not so much. DevilDriver aims to grow that relationship with their soon-to-be-released mash-up LP, Outlaws ‘Til the End, featuring Hank Williams III, Lamb of God’s Randy Blythe and Fear’s Lee Ving, among others.
Plans for the record, which will showcase covers of country and outlaw country songs, were first revealed more than a year ago by the Santa Barbara, California, metal act, who released their most recent album, Trust No One, in 2016. In addition to Blythe and Ving, the LP features cameos by Blythe’s bandmate Mark Morton, Wednesday13, Brock Lindow of 36 Crazyfists, Burton C. Bell of Fear Factory, and John Carter Cash and Ana Cristina Cash.
With punk rock represented by Ving and country by John Carter Cash, DevilDriver leader Dez Fafara says that the goal was to bring both those genres together with the help of his old friend Hank Williams III, the grandson of Hank Williams and son of Hank Williams Jr. who has developed a devoted fan base for his mix of traditional country and thrash-metal. “I’ve known Hank 3 for almost 20 years – in my opinion, he’s one of the true outlaw country artists out there right now going against the grain with all he does, much like his grandfather and father have done in their careers,” Fafara says. He has similar praise for Cash, whom he refers to as the “son of an outlaw and in every way a musician with an outlaw spirit.”
“It was fun trying to use a few different voices for the vocal track on ‘Country Heroes,'” Williams III says. “I was very impressed with [DevilDriver’s] approach on covering the song.”
Outlaws ‘Til the End will feature songs like Willie Nelson’s “Whiskey River,” Johnny Paycheck’s “I’m the Only Hell (Mama Ever Raised)” and Johnny Cash’s “The Man Comes Around,” but the lead track has Hank 3 performing his own song “Country Heroes,” which he first released on Straight to Hell in 2006. “Taking on ‘Country Heroes’ is something I’ve wanted to do for almost 10 years now, and to redo, rethink, and reimagine this with Hank himself was what this was all about. He sounds different than anyone has ever heard him sound, and it’s a sound he wants people to know he can do,” says Fafara, comparing it Black Sabbath-era Ozzy Osbourne. “‘Country Heroes’ is an immediate match made in hell.”
DevilDriver will release Outlaws ‘Til the End on July 6th via Napalm Records and is available now for preorder. Here’s the full tracklist for the album:
1. “Country Heroes”
Written by Hank Williams III
Performed by Hank 3 & Dez Fafara
2. “Whiskey River”
Written by Johnny Bush and Paul Stroud; recorded by Willie Nelson
Performed by Randy Blythe, Mark Morton of Lamb of God & Dez Fafara
3. “Outlaw Man”
Written by David Blue; recorded by the Eagles
Performed by Dez Fafara & Neal Tiemann of DevilDriver
4. “Ghost Riders in the Sky”
Written by Stan Jones
Performed by John Carter Cash, Ana Cristina Cash, Randy Blythe & Dez Fafara
5. “I’m the Only Hell (Mama Ever Raised)”
Written by Bobby Bobby Borchers, Wayne Kemp, Mack Vickery; recorded by Johnny Paycheck
Performed by Dez Fafara & DevilDriver
6. “If Drinking Don’t Kill Me (Her Memory Will)”
Written by Harlan Sanders, Rick Beresford; recorded by George Jones
Performed by Wednesday13 & Dez Fafara
7. “The Man Comes Around”
Written by Johnny Cash
Performed by Lee Ving of Fear & Dez Fafara
8. “A Thousand Miles From Nowhere”
Written by Dwight Yoakam
Performed by Dez Fafara & Neal Tiemann of DevilDriver
9. “Copperhead Road”
Written by Steve Earle
Performed by Brock Lindow of 36 Crazyfists & Dez Fafara
10. “Dad’s Gonna Kill Me”
Written by Richard Thompson
Performed by Burton C. Bell of Fear Factory & Dez Fafara
11. “A Country Boy Can Survive”
Written by Hank Williams Jr.
Performed by Dez Fafara & DevilDriver
12. “The Ride”
Written by J.B. Detterline Jr., Gary Gentry; recorded by David Allan Coe
Performed by Lee Ving of Fear & Dez Fafara