It's not the least bit odd that the metal dudes in DevilDriver dig country music enough to recruit Hank Williams III and John Carter Cash for forthcoming outlaw-themed covers album Outlaws 'Til the End Vol. I, out July 6 on Napalm Records. If anything, it's peculiar that more metal bands don't cater to the overlap between hard country and hard rock audiences.
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Think about it. Although metal heads love outlaw country, few, aside from Hank 3, have tried bridging the musical gap between country music's historic rebels and modern extreme metal. Cody Jinks and other outlaw-inspired country singers played metal in the past, but their musical pasts and current creative paths rarely cross in any kind of obvious way.
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Likewise, many country fans at least blare the classics by Anthrax and other seminal acts, so delving further into the Devil's music with Bocephus and Johnny Cash's sons might appeal to segments of both singers' target audience. That's certainly likely when the metal act in question covers the elder Cash, Willie Nelson, Steve Earle, Dwight Yoakam and numerous other beloved artists.
Notice that it's volume 1, so there may be more to come if this album really does rally wearers of denim and leather jackets together over a shared loved of classic country music.
Outlaws 'Til The End Vol. 1 Track List
1. "Country Heroes" (feat. Hank Williams III)
2. "Whiskey River" (feat. Randy Blythe and Mark Morton of Lamb of God)
3. "Outlaw Man"
4. "Ghost Riders in the Sky" (feat. John Carter and Ana Christina Cash)
5. "I'm the Only Hell (Mama Ever Raised)"
6. "If Drinking Don't Kill Me (Her Memory Will)" (feat. Wednesday13)
7. "The Man Comes Around" (feat. Lee Ving of the punk band Fear)
8. "A Thousand Miles From Nowhere"
9. "Copperhead Road" (feat. Brock Lindow of 36 Crazyfists)
10. "Dad's Gonna Kill Me" (feat. Burton C. Bell of Fear Factory)
11. "A Country Boy Can Survive"
12. "The Ride" (feat. Lee Ving)
