The Devil Went Down to Georgia…

…and found AMERICAN DEVILS waiting for him in Atlanta. I can assure you that singer Ryan Wexler got a few lessons from him, at least. Belting out ten hard rocking tunes that will make every kid in his Tripp jeans and dirty black t-shirt want to head bang until dawn, Wexler succeeds as a singer who grabs your attention. The opening track on this self-titled CD, “Do You Remember Me” has that anthem-quality sound that begs to be played at full volume. “Be the Same” follows right behind it with heavier sounds-leaning a bit close to Dave Grohl of FOO FIGHTERS vocally-but still coming off as a heavy track.

Track 3 is called “Low,” which is ironic since Wexler sings close to the top side of his range on this one. Of all the tracks on this CD, this is the one I don’t like. The vocals are so out of sync with the rest of the songs that it creates a bump in the otherwise smooth playability of this CD.

The band recovers very nicely, however, with “Madness,” the track that should definitely be this CD’s leadoff single for radio. The opening mix of drums and guitar pretty much made me want to bang my own head, and every time I play this CD, this is the track I want to hear first. The killer drums by Raegan Wexler continued to draw my attention in “Difficult,” as Raegan and bassist Alex Landry form a tight rhythm section that captivates the listener.

“This Time” returns to the FOO FIGHTERS feel, as Ryan’s vocals get a bit lighter and more towards the optimistic side. “This time, we’ll do what others dream about/this time, we’ll make it and everything will be alright.” It might sound like the Tommy and Gina story, but in fact “This Time” is a quality, well-written ballad that belongs on today’s rock radio stations.

The album picks up the pace again with “Feels So Good” and “Standing Tall,” two more guitar-driven tunes that really showcase the band’s tight sound. The album rounds out with “Turn Back,” a mid-tempo rocker that finishes the disc with a bit of introspection and a lot of cool ass guitar.

I have to say, as a fan of vocalists, it was difficult to listen to this band as just a singer and his backup musicians. The whole disc is very well-produced, giving AMERICAN DEVILS a nice sound that should generate a lot of label interest. On most of the songs, you can hear the screaming guitars of J* Starr and Aaron Lecesne blended perfectly with the rhythm section of Raegan Wexler and Landry. Add Ryan’s vocals to that, and what you have here is a very well-rounded quintet that I strongly recommend listening to.