Devildriver's Dez Fafara: I've cut out a lot of friends in the past year

Dez Fafara
(Image credit: Getty)

Devildriver’s Dez Fafara admits he’s the happiest he’s ever been after he chose to remove “negative people” from his life.

The vocalist says shrinking his circle of friends inspired the band’s forthcoming record Trust No One – which he says is the most “honest” record he’s written.

Fafara tells SkullsNBones: “I don’t really know why, but in the last year or so I’ve really taken a look at the people in my life, and decided whether or not they need to be in my life. I’ve been through it all, and I’m by no means perfect, but at this point in my life, I know what type of people I want around me and my family.

“I’ve cut a ton of friends out of my life in the past year, and it’s all for the greater good. Whether it was because of their negative energy, or something else, I pushed a lot of people away, and my circle of friends has never been smaller than it is right now.

“At the same time, I’ve never been happier. Personally, musically, spiritually, I’ve never been as happy and stoked as I am right now.

He continues: “Trust No One is one of the most poignant records I’ve ever written lyrically. It’s not like Clouds Over California where people have to ask what the song is about. You read and hear these lyrics, and you’ll get it right away, and that’s what I wanted.

“Whether it’s about trust issues, vengeance, positivity, letting go, or whatever the case may be, these lyrics are as honest as they can be, and fans will hear it.

“These are the most honest lyrics I’ve ever shared with people – and it needed to happen. I’m a very private person in real life, but if these words can help someone open their eyes or heal in any way, I’ve done my job.

“Aggressive music has gotten me through the hardest times in life, so if DevilDriver can be that band for someone else, I’m all for it.”

DevilDriver have scheduled a series of US shows starting in Las Vegas on April 27, and will return to the UK in August as support for Ministry.

Trust No One will be released on May 13. It can be pre-ordered via the official website.

DevilDriver Trust No One tracklist

  1. Testimony Of Truth
  2. Bad Deeds
  3. My Night Sky
  4. This Deception
  5. Above It All
  6. Daybreak
  7. Trust No One
  8. Feeling Ungodly
  9. Retribution
  10. For What It’s Worth

DEVILDRIVER TOUR DATES 2016

Apr 27: Las Vegas Vinyl Las Vegas, NV
Apr 29: Boise Knitting Factory, ID
Apr 30: Seattle Studio 7, WA
May 01: Spokane Knitting Factory, WA
May 03: Grand Junction Mesa Theater, CO
May 05: Kansas City The Riot Room, MO
May 06: Milwaukee Rave / Eagles Club, WI
May 07: Flint The Machine Shop, MI
May 09: Cincinnati Bogart’s, OH
May 10: Nashville Exit/In, TN
May 11: Grand Rapids The Stache, MI
May 13: Cleveland Odeon Concert Club, OH
May 14: Broadview AZ Metro Distributors, IL
May 15: Lincoln Bourbon Theatre, NE
May 16: Denver Summit Music Hall, CO
May 17: Salt Lake City Complex, UT
May 19: San Francisco Regency Ballroom, CA
May 20: Sacramento Ace Of Spades, CA
May 21: Pomona Glass House, CA
May 22: Los Angeles Echoplex, CA
May 23: Tempe Marquee Theatre, AZ
May 25: Houston Warehouse Live, TX
May 26: New Orleans Republic, LA
May 27: Dallas Gas Monkey Bar, TX
May 29: San Antonio AT&T Center, TX
May 31: Atlanta Masquerade, GA
Jun 01: Jacksonville Hooligans Pub, NC
Jun 02: Baltimore Soundstage, MD
Jun 03: Philadelphia Underground Arts, PA
Jun 04: Sayreville Starland Ballroom, NJ
Jun 05: Montreal Theatre Corona, QC
Jun 06: Toronto Opera House, ON
Jun 07: Millvale Mr Small’s Fun House, PA
Jun 08: Clifton Park Upstate Concert Hall, NY
Jun 09: South Burlington Higher Ground, VT
Jun 10: Providence Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel, RI
Jun 11: New Haven Toad’s Place, CT
Jun 13: Columbus Park Street Saloon, OH
Jun 14: St. Louis Fubar, MO
Jun 16: Albuquerque Sunshine Theater, NM
Jun 17: Window Rock Window Rock Sports Center, AZ
Jun 18: San Diego Brick By Brick, CA
Jul 29: Saarbrucken Saarmageddon Festival, Germany
Jul 30: Essen Nord Open Air, Germany
Aug 03: Szekesfehervar Fezen Festival, Hungary
Aug 07: Koln Live Music Hall, Germany
Aug 16: Cardiff Tramshed, UK
Aug 17: Glasgow O2 ABC, UK
Aug 18: Birmingham O2 Institute, UK
Aug 19: Manchester O2 Ritz, UK
Aug 20: London O2 Forum Kentish Town, UK

Former TeamRock news desk member Christina joined our team in late 2015, and although her time working on online rock news was fairly brief, she made a huge impact by contributing close to 1500 stories. Christina also interviewed artists including Deftones frontman Chino Moreno and worked at the Download festival. In late 2016, Christina left rock journalism to pursue a career in current affairs. In 2021, she was named Local Weekly Feature Writer of the Year at the Scottish Press Awards.