Jack The Joker - The Devil To Pay In The Backlands - guest review
Jack The Joker - The Devil To Pay In The Backlands - guest review
Tracklist
01. Devir02. Between The Sky Lines
03. Denied
04. XV
05. Neblina
06. Sun
07. You Where I Belong
08. Thousand Witnesses
09. Cabaret
10. Saudade
11. Hope
Guest review by
LeKiwi September 23, 2025
Anyway, this isn’t a Tool review and I’m no tool(ian) so I'll leave the conspiratorial preamble at that. The Devil To Pay In The Backlands marks Jack The Joker’s first album in 9 years. Considering their first two were released in such quick succession, one could say their silence called into question their continued existence. However – as is their tradition – they return with over an hour of technically-dense music replete with twists and turns that flirt with the borders of traditional prog without really pushing past them, proving that they never left the drawing board.
With their sophomore, they explored some modern prog elements with slightly inconsistent results. This time around, the instrumental package is neatly wrapped and nothing feels out of place. Jack The Joker occupy a musical space somewhere between Symphony X and Dream Theater – a dreadfully unexplored convergence if you ask me – with a bias towards the former. Nospūn are perhaps their only true competitors. Was it their 2023 Opus that goaded Jack The Joker back into the fray?
Ridiculous speculations aside, what set Jack The Joker apart until now was their formidable affinity for groove, and fortunately that has not faded with their years of seeming inactivity. Throughout the album the band delivers tightly-knit and deliciously syncopated instrumentation, drawing inspiration from local influences like samba and flamenco – not Brazilian, but popular enough there – tastefully embellishing the groove on songs like “Cabaret”. At the same time, the band doesn’t shy away from the selective foray into relative extremity from time to time to break up the pace of this rather lengthy album.
However, rhythm is only half the equation. Despite their technical acumen, their style leans heavily on the immensely talented – and potentially eponymous? – Jo(k)er, delivering stylistic virtuoso that calls to mind the likes of Russell Allen while experimenting with a penchant for capricious shifts in range and tone. Now while that hasn’t changed on The Devil To Pay In The Backlands, I wasn’t that convinced this time around by the melodic aspects of the vocal delivery. Certainly nothing is out of key or wrong per se, but it comes across a little random or unguided at times. In the same song you can hear skilfully crafted vocal runs immediately followed by those that sound like scale runs on shuffle. Though this doesn’t mark a new gripe I have with Jack The Joker – despite their otherwise commendable track record – it’s certainly more pronounced this time around. A good example of this is, well, pretty much the first half of the album interestingly, or more specifically up until and including “Neblina”. The prime example is the entirety of “XV” less the short and unrepeated passage between 03:40-03:55 embodying a perpetual vocal anticlimax.
While the vocal performance leaves something to be desired, the otherwise wicked display of prog wizardry renders the album an admirable comeback. Despite this not topping the consistency of their debut or the grandiosity of their sophomore's finale, “Venus & Mars”, The Devil To Pay In The Backlands serves as a solid introduction to the band that will please fans of groovy prog itching for something in this niche.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 8 |
| Songwriting: | 7 |
| Originality: | 7 |
| Production: | 9 |
Written by LeKiwi | September 23, 2025
Guest review disclaimer:
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
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Posts: 4326 Written by tedster on 24.09.2025 at 19:19 Thanks! Check out their first two albums when you get time if you haven’t 
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