California metallers DEVILDRIVER have inked a worldwide deal with Napalm Records. The band's next album is tentatively scheduled for a release in 2013.

Commented DEVILDRIVER frontman Dez Fafara: "I am proud to announce DEVILDRIVER's new partnership with Napalm Records! They have the passion and the drive we as a band were looking for! I'm looking forward to working together on DEVILDRIVER's next release! Hail the groove!"

Added Markus Riedler, Napalm Records CEO: "We are extremely excited to have this outstanding band on our label roster. DEVILDRIVER are a true metal monster full of primal energy and more than ready to conquer the world with their upcoming album that will be released in the fall of 2013. Join the metal brotherhood and get ready for the world's largest circle pit!"

In a March 2012 interview with Horns Up Rocks!, Fafara was asked what caused DEVILDRIVER's split with longtime label Roadrunner Records. "A lot of things, I think — [depending on] if you talk to them or you talk to us," he replied. "[At the recent show in] New York City, at least ten labels [were there to check us out], and it's good to see them coming out for us. I think it shows what we've done in the past. Roadrunner has been my home since '96 [when Dez was still a member of COAL CHAMBER. — Ed.]. We'll really see what happens. For us, it's not about where to go for the money or any of that right now, it's where do we go for the passion? We're all remaining on good terms [with Roadrunner], so that's a good thing, and we're just moving forward."

When asked about the progress of the songwriting sessions for DEVILDRIVER's sixth album, Fafara told Peek From The Pit in a March 2012 interview, "We used to put a record every two years. It's gonna be a very critical record for us, when it does come out, and we're gonna take time to write it. I actually heard one track the other night that is incredible. We all started writing vocals to it right when we were sitting in the back [of the bus], so if it's gonna stay on that route, I think it's gonna be an incredible record."

Dez also spoke about the the musical direction of DEVILDRIVER's new material and whether the band will attempt to make the next record even more "brutal" than "Beast". "We continue to make our records diverse, which is cool," he said. "Every record is different with DEVILDRIVER, so I think we're gonna surpass what we've done in the past. And then going into the 'brutal' question, it's like, man, everybody is as brutal as everybody now. So we wanna have some diversity and we wanna have some moments and some clarity within the songs. I think the thing we're really focused on is songwriting. We don't have a producer chosen, we don't have the [studio] time [booked]. We don't even know if we're gonna release a record in 2013, maybe 2014, or maybe fall of 2013; we're not sure. So there's all this stuff up in the air. But what we do know is we're having a good time writing and exchanging feelings on the songs. . . Like I said, it's gonna be a very important record in our career, so we're gonna take time and we're gonna craft it."

"Beast", the fifth album from DEVILDRIVER, sold a little over 11,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 42 on The Billboard 200 chart.