Groove metal veterans DevilDriver return with their eleventh studio album Strike And Kill, led by Dez Fafara, arriving July 10, 2026
by Paul Cashmere
Groove metal mainstays DevilDriver have confirmed their eleventh studio album, Strike And Kill, set for release on July 10, 2026 via Napalm Records, alongside the debut of the lead single Dig Your Own Grave. The announcement lands as the band prepares for a July Australian tour, placing new material directly into the live arena.
The record marks a significant moment in the band’s timeline, arriving after more than two decades of recording and touring, and following the expansive double album Dealing With Demons Vol. 1 & 2. With that project establishing a high watermark in their catalogue, including sustained metal radio success, Strike And Kill positions itself as a recalibration toward the band’s foundational sound.
Frontman Dez Fafara frames the album as a continuation of long-held creative intent rather than reinvention. “My headspace hasn’t changed, I have not become complacent or soft in my view of the world or in my music,” Fafara said. “Metal is our outlet as listeners and writers, so on this record we focused on getting it all out lyrically, and backing those lyrics with savage, relentless music that fuels the heavy California groove like no other.”
The lead track Dig Your Own Grave introduces the album’s thematic direction with precision. Built on rapid-fire percussion and dense riff structures, the track explores consequence and personal accountability. Fafara explains, “One wrong decision, one wrong move can see your whole world turned upside down, effectively digging your own grave. It can also refer to how your decisions can impact someone else.”
Musically, Strike And Kill draws on the established DevilDriver framework, groove metal anchored in rhythmic weight, layered with melodic death metal textures and blackened tonal elements. Guitarists Alex Lee and Gabe Mangold contribute dual-lead interplay across tracks like Dead In The Water, while drummer Davier Ortega Perez delivers tightly controlled, high-tempo arrangements. The return of founding bassist Jon Miller adds a structural link back to the band’s early 2000s origins.
Across the tracklist, the album moves between high-intensity passages and more textured arrangements. Sanctified In Scars integrates industrial elements, while Summoning Shadows introduces acoustic layering before returning to full-band impact. The title track Strike And Kill functions as a thematic centrepiece, addressing resilience and accumulated experience through complex rhythmic shifts.
Formed in Santa Barbara in 2002, DevilDriver emerged from the post-nu metal transition period, with Fafara pivoting from his earlier band Coal Chamber into a heavier, groove-driven direction. Early albums such as The Fury Of Our Maker’s Hand and The Last Kind Words established the band within the modern metal circuit, while later releases like Pray For Villains and Beast expanded their international footprint. Their signing to Napalm Records in 2013 marked a new phase of output, culminating in the ambitious Dealing With Demons series.
Within the broader metal landscape, Strike And Kill arrives at a time when legacy acts are increasingly revisiting core sonic identities rather than pursuing stylistic divergence. DevilDriver’s approach aligns with that trend, reinforcing genre fundamentals while maintaining technical evolution. For listeners beyond the band’s core audience, the release reflects a wider movement within heavy music, one that prioritises continuity, precision and live translation over experimentation for its own sake.
There is little ambiguity in the band’s current trajectory. With a stable lineup and a clear production direction, DevilDriver are consolidating rather than redefining their position. The upcoming Australian tour, co-headlined with Cradle Of Filth, will provide immediate context for how the new material functions in a live environment.
Looking ahead, Strike And Kill reinforces DevilDriver’s long-term durability in a genre often defined by turnover. More than two decades into their career, the band continues to operate with a defined identity and a consistent release cycle, a combination that has sustained their relevance across multiple phases of the metal industry.
Strike And Kill Tracklisting:
1 Dig Your Own Grave
2 Dead in the Water
3 Sanctified In Scars
4 Strike and Kill
5 In the Moonlight
6 Ride or Die
7 Headed for the Fall
8 Shut the Silence On
9 Never Coming Home
10 Summoning Shadows
11 You’re just a Ghost
12 Oath of Iron
13 All Bets are Off
Australian Tour Dates
Thursday 9 July, Brisbane, The Tivoli
Friday 10 July, Sydney, The Enmore
Saturday 11 July, Melbourne, The Forum
Tuesday 14 July, Adelaide, Hindley Street Music Hall
Thursday 16 July, Perth, The Astor
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