the Midlands Rocks review of "Fate is Your Muse" Devil To Pay – Fate Is Your Muse Mar 17, 2013 | Comments 0 Review by Robert Baker Hailing from the seedier side of Indianapolis and bringing what seems like the underbelly with them comes Devil To Pay, a rock band in the truest sense of the word. With Fate Is Your Muse we find a sound more tempting than tempted, as the aural waves mix authority and allegory with amps and outstanding showmanship that transcends trend and time itself to become a standout on the shelves. Think Zeppelin rather than Zappa, as Fate Is Your Muse mixes hard riffing and suave grooves into a twelve track fat album of boot stomping, head moshing magnificence that you didn’t even know had been missing from your life. Impeachment instead of preaching sees opener ‘Prepare To Die’ align the listener to the band as they ready the blood for frontman Steve Janiak’s visioning that shapes and defines the album throughout. Taken from and written about life’s inspirations Fate Is Your Muse is the collective decade’s worth of experience carried upon the band Devil To Pay’s shoulders, each track an incident turned insight as they take you through twelve tracks worthy of being considered almost a life lesson each. Introspection comes in the form of ‘Yes Master’, a slow brooding number that draws you in slowly and lays languid across the ears, hypnotic in its subtle malleability of your consciousness as you melt into the awaiting sounds of guitars deliberately balancing you on the edge of anticipation. ‘Tie One On’ throws you out into an arena, the crowd your companions and the chorus your anthem as fists go raised and hair in all directions in empathy to the solid beat and barely contained energy of the rhythm catapulting you along through the surge. Album closer ‘Beyond The Ether’ undoes some of the preceding good work of the band, however, the maudlin tones somewhat cheered by a rather catchy outro that nevertheless leaves the album on a slightly down tone; you will go back and re-listen to the tracks, pick out and add individual ones to your playlist for regular consumption. And as a release it’s certainly worth your time heading on over to their Reverbnation page, clicking a few links to enjoy past works and see about getting the new album Fate Is Your Muse whilst you’re there. It’s still a better slice of rock cut thick and with generous helpings of seconds; just head off for the thin mints and brandy before you get to track twelve. 7 out of 10