Album Review: The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me

While I wait for new releases to peak my interest, I will go back to the year 2006, when the New York-based Brand New released their major label debut (third album overall) entitled The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me. The reason this is an important album is that it signaled the breaking away from their old style of music and cemented them into this new captivating type of rock that has no name, but is a very powerful listening experience.

Brand New started to experiment with the style of their second CD, Deja Entendu, but the style has taken complete control of Devil and God. By using slow, haunting intros followed by heavy guitars and fast-paced, screaming vocals, Brand New has created a sound that is all its own, and a sound that begs for more listens.

The experience is introduced well in "Sowing Season," which slowly builds with depressing candor until it explodes with a powerful "Yeah" followed by a pulsing guitar riff. This pattern is followed many times during the album, but each time the explosion takes the listener by surprise, immersing them in a feeling of anxiety and rapt attention.

The effect is made even stronger by the lyrics of Jesse Lacey, which typically depict depressing scenes that are far from the immature topics of earlier CDs. With a new sound, it seems the band has developed a new mindset as well. That mindset comes with a lot of doubt, as found in the ballad "Jesus," and it also comes with a Cassandra-like despondent prophecy, evidenced in the crushing "Limousine."

The music isn't just good because of its unexpected bursts, either, as guitarist Vincent Accardi perfectly captures the moods with his unnerving yet satisfying licks. There is a certain objective that the band tries to get forth in every song, and the music goes a long way in helping them accomplish that.

Their experiment only fails in one song, and that is the instrumental "Welcome to Bangkok." Placed in the middle of the CD right between two great songs ("You Won't Know" and "Not the Sun"), the instrumental seems to aimlessly go from slow to fast without any sort of purpose. It almost seemed as if they wanted to make a song out of it but couldn't think of how to make it work, so they just stuck the music there because it sounded cool.

The end of the album isn't nearly as strong as the beginning, but the fun "The Archers Bows Have Broken" and the scary "Handcuffs" are good songs to go out on, although "Handcuffs" is the one song that has less than stunning lyrics. It is a slow fade to an otherwise stellar album, one that takes you for a ride through shrieking vocals, soft moments, and heavy-hitting percussion.

Scoring:

Replayability: (19/20) This album was released two years ago, and I still listen to it very often. I have heard it more than a hundred times, and I know I will hear it another hundred before the CD breaks. There's a lot to get from this album.

Music: (17/20) It isn't as if these guys are the most talented musicians in the world, but what they do is take a song and use their music to create an ambiance that is perfect for the emotion they wish to convey. Through their tactic of going from slow to fast, they hold attention and make the most of it when they get it.

Lyrics: (18/20) From the strong emotions in "Jesus" and "Limousine" to the cold observations of "Millstone," Jesse Lacey's words capture energy and emotion in a special way and force the listener to understand his intentions.

Completeness: (17/20) Even without the momentum-halting "Welcome to Bangkok," the album sort of slips towards the end with songs that don't do much but ride the earlier momentum. However, album through track 6 would probably be one of the best EPs ever made.

Emotional Pull: (18/20) This isn't just because of the lyrics. The entire style of music gets the listener to feel the emotions, whether it be from a great line or a well-placed scream.

Total Score: 89
Grade: B+

With a rumored album coming out in 2009, it will be interesting to see if Brand New can match the high standard they have set for themselves. If they continue to master this style of music, I think there are only good things in the future for them.

Check, Check Plus, X

Sowing Season √+
Millstone √
Jesus √+
Degausser √+
Limousine √+
You Won’t Know √+
Welcome to Bangkok X
Not the Sun √+
Luca √
Untitled √
The Archers Bows Have Broken √+
Handcuffs √


Hopefully some interesting CDs come out soon. Otherwise I'll be looking around the past for some good music. Help me out if you want, send a request to rockreportcard@hotmail.com and I'll give it a listen.

Sit tight til the next grade,
RRC