Chicago’s Bible of the Devil is a group that’s always pulling from one place to the next, though you’re never really sure which direction they’re heading until they’ve arrived. Predictability is not in their repertoire. Stability, on the other hand, is — they consistently release high quality, high voltage rock’n’metal records at a pleasingly steady pace. And while the road Bible of the Devil takes between albums might not always be linear, it’s forever solid.

For the Love of Thugs and Fools is Bible of the Devil’s seventh studio album (and third with Cruz Del Sur). The awesome thing about this band is that after more than a decade of writing and playing ripping octane-charged metal (most of that time with the same lineup), none of their tenacity has dissipated. The raw energy you heard on Tight Empire is still with them, only honed and more focused these days. And you can bet your ass that their songwriting has only gotten tighter over the years.

BOTD albums have always been rife with killer guitar rhythms and dual leads, and thankfully For the Love of Thugs and Fools is no exception. In our recent interview, drummer Greg Spalding mentioned that For the Love… is maybe a bit more vocally than guitar driven than previous records, which rings true. Mark Hoffmann and Nate Perry have come close to perfecting their respective whiskey-soaked and smoke-racked vox, which do wonders on this album. But those sweet ass riffs keep coming, so it’s impossible not to identify BOTD with big loud guitars.

Right out of the gates you get the best of both worlds with For the Love… : the smooth organ-perforated intro of “Sexual Overture” (or “Sexual Torture,” if you ask Scott Alisoglu) warming up into the stellar and guitar-heavy “While You Were Away.” It’s a colossal combination of ass-kicking rock and roll energy and essential heavy metal elements. Other notable stand-outs include the angry and anthemic “Raw and Order,” the positively rockin’ Thin Lizzy-esque “Anytime,” the gnarly, dirty “Can’t Turn off the Sun,” and of course the funky, groovy, and atypically wacky “I Know What is Right (In the Night),” Bible of the Devil‘s quintessential lovemakin’ song (complete with a sax solo from Yakuza‘s Bruce Lamont). This one in particular was totally unexpected, popping up out of nowhere in the middle of the album, but it’s infectious as all get out and crucial live. Of course, the whole damn album’s good, and you won’t find yourself skipping tracks here.

For the Love of Thugs and Fools may not be as immediate an album to grab onto as 2008’s Freedom Metal, but it’s sure as hell just as good and just as hard-hitting. It shows a maturity that can only be built with a slew of releases under your belt and tours behind your back. Bible of the Devil doesn’t recycle, though, and that’s important to note. They’ve always got a place to go and a story to tell, but it’ll never be the same. You can put money on that.

[Visit the band's website]

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