Search - Lizzy Borden :: Deal With the Devil

Too pedestrian in the long run

Jeremy Ulrey | Austin, TX | 08/12/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Having apparently made a pact with Satan for his eternal soul, Lizzy seems to be in no hurry to expedite his career progress. "Deal With The Devil" is so identical to material released by Borden during his 80s (semi) heyday that it could very well be a collection of unreleased demos. The production certainly gives nothing away. Stuck in that decade old rut of flattened bass and gutted treble, we are left with nothing but midrange, which is meticulous to be sure, but nonetheless is saddled with a well intentioned pre-defeat. Evidently this was planned and not accidental, as the liner notes state the entire album was recorded in Pro Tools, which rules out the possibility that the band just plugged in their old equipment and dusted off the mixing board.



But I guess certain people have intensive fascinations with antiques for a reason, and "Deal With The Devil" does bear it's share of faded treasures. Despite the ready made lack of luster, "Hell Is For Heroes" reminisces on the days when you could thumb your nose at Heavenly ideals without being considered a pagan extremist, and "Believe" takes another stab at the dried up corpse of the power ballad. But pound for pound, Lizzy Borden comes off as an aging welterweight, a few trick punches up his sleeve but not much bounce in his step.



"

I stand corrected!

Justin Gaines | Northern Virginia | 07/23/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I hate being wrong about something, especially when it's about a metal band or artist. I have to admit I was wrong about Lizzy Borden. After hearing one of hist first albums and witnessing his performance in the film Decline of Western Civilization Part 2 - the Metal Years, I had written Lizzy off as a cheesy, non-serious act that wasn't worth my time. Listening to Deal with the Devil (and it's predecessor Master of Disguise) I realize that I totally misjudged Lizzy & co.



This is a solid, mature, better-than-average metal album that falls somewhere between traditional and power metal. Over and over again I was reminded of a cross between Armored Saint and Queensryche (the good Empire-era Queensryche too, not their later day crapola), mostly due to the versatile vocals of band leader Lizzy Borden. The songs are well-crafted and have plenty of great riffs.



I am definitely glad I gave this band another try, and would easily recommend Deal with the Devil to most metal fans, particularly those who enjoy Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Iced Earth, and similar bands."

"a sacrificial lamb in white"

mwreview | Northern California, USA | 07/14/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Deal with Devil (2000) was the first Lizzy Borden studio release in a little over a decade following their brilliant Master of Disguise (1989). When I first listened to this CD, I was disappointed. There were only a couple songs that stood out and the rest just didn't seem to have the same edge as previous Lizzy albums. While most Lizzy albums hooked me right away, this one took several listens to appreciate. Now I consider Deal with the Devil a very good album, not as accessible as Love You to Pieces or as sophisticated as Master of Disguise, but a very good album in its own right with its own accessibility and sophistication as well as the characteristic Lizzy sound.



"There Will Be Blood Tonight" was one of the tracks that I liked right away. Lizzy usually saved some of their best rockers to start their albums and that is certainly the case here. This may be the most accessible track on Deal. It is very energetic and catchy with an excellent chorus. "Hell is For Heroes" is another energetic rocker with a very memorable chorus. The title track I have mixed feelings about. It really rocks and it has a great beat, but it teeters on a more good time rock `n roll style that I do not like as much. It never strays completely from the heavy metal side though, which is good, but the lyrics really break down at the end (rhyming "devil" with "on the level" and "shovel" is silly but at least the track begins to fade out at that point). "Zanzibar" was the other track that grabbed me right away. It is the most interesting and innovative number on the CD. It has a Middle Eastern influence and a mysterious mood. The overall sound and vocals are intoxicating at times. There is a lot of depth to it but it is still very catchy. It would have fit on Master of Disguise very well. "Lovin' You is Murder" brings things down again with a very accessible, catchy rocker. It offers menacing guitar and vocals at the beginning and then Lizzy opens it up to his usual vocal style and a sing-along chorus. It is another one of my favorites on this album.



"We Only Come Out at Night" is a very menacing track. It has an industrial sound. "Generation Landslide" is a straight-forward rocker but a bit annoying with the "lada da tadie" or whatever they chant (sounds like a wicked Jimmy Durante). "The World Is Mine" has a menacing opening but the chanting at the chorus is a little much. "State of Pain" is a nice, accessible rocker. I like the vocals on this track, especially at "so here we are..." I find myself singing along to this one. Next they offer a cover of Blue Oyster Cult's "(This Ain't) the Summer of Love." When I first heard it I thought, this sounds familiar and then, right before the chorus, I figured out where I heard it before (on the only BOC album I have). While Lizzy does their usual stellar work on it, it seemed out-of-place then and it still does. They play it straight and do not add their own style too much, although they add more energy to the track. The last track, "Believe" begins with a pleasant guitar riff and I thought for a moment it was a cover of "(Don't Fear) The Reaper." It is a slower track but is very powerful with a lot of depth and picks up the tempo at the chorus. The beautiful guitar work reminds me of Metal Church back in the day.



This album took awhile to pull me in but, now that it has, it spends a lot of time in my CD player. There is much variety here, from Lizzy's many vocal styles to the overall moods of the tracks. I definitely recommend Deal with the Devil to any fan of Lizzy or power metal in general from the 1980s. Fans of Lizzy should not hesitate to pick this CD up. It combines more accessible tracks with the more orchestrated numbers to form a solid album for the new Millennium. I hope Lizzy can release another album or two before the decade is out."