Metal Underground.com

Devildriver delivers another potent mix of melodic death metal growls and howls and Pantera-esque grooves on "Winter Kills." It hits like a punch in the mouth and doesn't leave anything standing in its wake.

Despite all the aggression, there's also a nice amount of shading here. Both "Oath Of The Abyss" and the especially groove-laden "Ruthless" start with quieter moments that effortlessly segue into Mike Spreitzer and Jeff Kendrick's double-guitar assault. Riff-wise, the aforementioned "Ruthless" stands out, as do the speedy "Tripping Over Tombstones" and the slightly slower "Carings Overkill."

There are also plenty of great lead guitar moments, including a pair of face-melting solos in "Carings Overkill" and an excellent bit of fretwork near the end of "Haunting Refrain."

Dez Fafara's death growl almost never feels out of place — even in the album's most melodic moments. Granted, he's almost always delivering the vocals in a full-throated shout, but even there, he manages to add some subtle shadings to the screaming in tracks like "Tripping Over Tombstones" and "The Appetite."

Also impressive is the work on the low end by drummer John Boecklin and the band's new bassist, Chris Towning, who are given plenty of room in the mix to do their thing. Boecklin is especially excellent throughout, with expert double-bass work on "Gutted" that adds power to the simple riff.

On the downside, the album ends with a whimper. The cover of Awolnation's "Sail" feels incredibly simplistic compared to everything else on the album. Fafara may have identified with the lyrics, but there's not much evidence of that in his performance.

All in all, though, Devildriver gets the job done quite splendidly on "Winter Kills." Those looking for death metal fury with more than a touch of groove and some superb solos will find plenty to keep their heads banging here.