Circle Pit Kings
In the build up to Download death–metallers, Devildriver had been threatening and promising to unleash the biggest circle pit in any of the tents for the whole three days. It was a challenge that other bands attempted to take them up on but in the end no one was mighty enough to defeat the menace of the Californian group.
Unashamedly plugging their new album and continually showing their love for their label Roadrunner, Devildriver unleashed a hail of thunderous tunes that drilled their way into your mind and pounded their way into your bones. With clouds of dust whirling around the Dimebag Darrell tent, new hit 'Not All Who Wander Are Lost' was welcomed with a frenzied mash of bodies as circle pits began to break out, refusing to ease up as Devildriver pummelled into yet another new song, 'Clouds Over Californian' giving a mere glimpse of respite only when singer Dez Farfara took time out to chat to the crowd.
Scarily growling and roaring his way through the set, Farfara is exactly what you would expect the front man of Devildriver to be. Gigantically tall with a mass of wildly flaying hair, Farfara cuts a scarily looking figure, fittingly so when you consider the band. However, such illusions are quickly quashed when he speaks. Clearly saving his voice for the vigorously raw vocals, Farfara comes across as simply a nice bloke, someone you would happily sit and chat to in the pub, as he announces that the band are going to do a song simply because the crew requested it before breaking into a frenzy of guitars on 'Hangman's Noose'. This is quickly followed by Farfara's own request that the crowd split in two all the way back, and this guy means what he says. Proclaiming that we are all family and that we should watch out for one another, Farfara gets his wish. The tent is divided in two, waiting in quiet anticipation as the opening notes of 'Wretched' ebb out followed by Farfara claiming that "We are Devildriver and we did this to you". And then we have it. Devildriver come through with their promise and the Dimebag Darrell tent becomes a mass of bodies engulfed in the biggest circle pit of the weekend amidst a cloud of dust that swamps everything in its path. As Farfara so enthusiastically told us, Devildriver did this to us and for that we are grateful.