Stonerrock.com review of "Cash is King" Devil to Pay - Cash Is King Review by John Pegoraro (StonerRock.com) Lax Wax Records Release date: March 2006 The three years since Thirty Pieces of Silver was released have treated Devil to Pay well. The band has gotten tighter, leaner, and meaner. For further proof, look no further than their sophomore album, Cash Is King. If there's a central theme to Cash Is King, it's that life's a miserable ride and only the strong survive. References to corruption, war, and death are prevalent throughout the 14 tracks. The music backs it up (with one exception - lyrically "Born to Rue" is an angry war diatribe but musically it comes off as a little too peppy). They play a low and dirty mesh of riff heavy rock with elements of doom and Badmotorfinger-era Soundgarden. Singer/guitarist Steve Janiak has a voice that brings to mind John Garcia, bringing a gritty melody to standout tracks like "Kill Everything," "Belial," and "The Mountain Comes to Me." Along with stronger songs, there are two other improvements over Thirty Pieces of Silver. First is the production. Cash Is King sounds the same, but the playing is more relaxed and less affected. They're not trying to be perfect, and it brings the recording closer to their live sound. The second is the variety of the songs. Thirty Pieces of Silver had an overabundance of mid-tempo rockers, but Cash Is King runs the gamut from slow dirges to manic rockers, and that keeps the album interesting. Thirty Pieces of Silver showed that the band knew how to leave a distinct mark in the world of heavy rock, but with Cash Is King, they really shine. Devil to Pay refers to themselves as 'doom rock' and that's a pretty good description of where they're coming from. Heavy and full of grooves, Cash Is King is an excellent album and worth checking out.