THE DEV is making their mark in the metal world with the rollout of their new hard-hitting single, “Hell Bent.” With vivacious vocals paired with electric guitar, the highflier’s hit will become your new party anthem as you can’t get enough of their feel-good magnetism.
“Hell Bent is a song that describes the energy and vibe of us as humans wanting to come out of a dark time and enjoy what is to be human and live in a society again…to have fun, see friends, enjoy time together, and party!!!” – Ryan Danley, Guitarist of THE DEV
THE DEV is a female fronted hard rock band from Central Florida. The band puts the fan experience at the forefront of everything they do from their unforgettable music to their dynamic and awe-inspiring onstage performances. The band’s mission is to wipe away the everyday stresses of life from the moment they hit the stage, leaving audiences relishing in the moment and hanging on until the very last note.
The band is composed of lead vocalist Nikollaj, guitarists Ryan Danley & Barrett Jones, bassist John Panaccione, and drummer Chris Caruso.
THE DEV showcases a bright new spirit in rock music with rising star and front woman Nikollaj. Alongside her are industry veterans who have toured with acts including Heart and Alice Cooper, graced the stages of the Vans Warped Tour, shared the stage with Slash, Avenged Sevenfold, Flyleaf, and Rise Against, and secured their fair share of endorsements, movie placements, and radio spotlights. With no shortage of experience, THE DEV combines their unparalleled rock ‘n’ roll chops with their bright-eyed spirit of the scene’s next generation of powerhouses.
Tell us about your story as a band
“This band started 3yrs ago. 5 musicians coming together from disbanded projects… kind of like the universe throwing us on the same road.. we all have different levels of experience and influences but in a short time have built THE DEV from a love of music, art and desire to make it in this industry. We want THE DEV to be a household name and one that people associate with killer rock music and art!”- ryan
What do you think is the most important aspect of your life right now?
“To be creative, happy and enjoy the path I’m on…also make time to work out & improve on guitar!” – ryan
“To stay healthy physically and mentally, so I can continue to perform and write great music with my band mates.” – John
What makes “Hell Bent” special in your opinion?
“It’s a well written, creative song that combines styles / influences and has a sexy groove with a hard rock party anthem vibe….it’s got great melodies / lyrics, instrumentations and everything you look for in rock n roll!”- ryan
“For me it’s special because I sat down and wrote the entire basic music and basic song structure for the song in one day. We had taken a break from rehearsals for a day and I was in my home studio fooling around with some new riffs and it just came to me. I threw some generic drum samples on it, mixed it down and put it in our Google drive folder for demos. And then Ryan actually saw it in there and asked how long it had been there and I was like just uploaded today. And the next rehearsal we started working on it and everyone started adding their ingredients. About a week later Nikollaj and I sat down and came up with the Chorus melody and lyrics and she took it home and wrote the rest of the lyrics. It comes together very quickly.” -Barrett
What inspired the track?
Our first tour. Where we were so glad to get out of the house and hit the road. – Chris
“We went out on a five day run and did five states in five days in April 2021. It was our first run back from everything being shut down. We had such a great time and met a ton of live music loving characters that were happy we were out there and came to their city. They definitely greet us with open arms. We learned a lot of new sayings and slang on that run. A lot of the lyrics are inspired by them.” – Barrett
What are some of the core messages behind it?
“Life is too short to live in fear. You just have to get out there and rock!” -Barrett
“At a time where everything was / still is chaotic, being able to go out, enjoy life, and have a positive mindset is crucial. Hell Bent is a hard rock anthem that calls for us to enjoy life, live in themoment and not be afraid.” – ryan
How do you think tik tok and social media are contributing to change an artist’s career?
“It’s given the independent artists so many opportunities and avenues that never existed before… there are so many avenues with social media to promote and produce your art….so it’s definitely made it more accessible for artists to be discovered like never before in the history of music industry… and while some may miss the tangible cd’s / magazines of the past now with all these outlets artists can produce some much content and as well build a brand / reality like never before for fans to be a part of.” – ryan
What excites you about your life?
My whole life is music and drums. I can finally say that I do what I love for a living. Which was not always the case. – Chris
“That I live, love and learn it on my own terms. Everyone has a different path and interests but I believe passion is your purpose. with the time we have It’s important to do and believe in things that you love and not dwell in negative energy. I love the fact that I can learn about new things or see art all day,,, I can go to the beach and surf.. or sit home and play guitar all day. Just be true to yourself and allow your inner essence to be seen and grow!” -ryan
“That every day I wake up and know I am doing something I love, which is playing music with The Dev. Traveling and playing shows, meeting people from different walks of life and hanging out with them. That’s really exciting and fun.” – John
What are some of your core values as a human being?
“Respect, creativity, self improvement, self care, sexuality, living in the moment…these are all things that I care about and value in my life!” – ryan
“Always do your best with everything you do because you never know who’s watching, treat everyone with the same love and respect that you want to feel in your life and Never Give Up.” – Barrett
“Be Excellent to each other. And… party on dudes!” – John
What are your projects for this year?
“Personally, writing a lot more music and killer riffs whether it be for THE DEV or for myself, touring more, releasing more music and getting my clothing line “JONE$ Amplification” completely launched and getting more product out for it.” -Barrett
“Goals would be to release as much music as well play as many shows as we can…all the while expanding our reach and building our DEVoted family & fanbase!” – ryan
