Review Summary: Breaking through from their old title, "The Chiodos Bros", Chiodos takes their sound in a new direction, ushering in a new generation of post-hardcore.
2 of 4 thought this review was well writtenFirst and foremost, everyone has heard of Chiodos, and if you haven't, well then you're living under a rock.
Chiodos is widely renown for their lead singer, Craig Owens, who croons and whispers frightening high pitched words, and emits a shrill scream when needed. In All's Well That Ends Well (AWTEW) released July 26, 2005, the vocals take getting used to. At first, cringing to the sound of Craig's high whiney vocals is normal, but after a couple of listens, the soft singing is sought out and you relish the time spent listening to Craig sing. On a more positive note, Craig's screams work wonderfully in the times that he does scream, and are perfect sounding in the breakdowns.
Jason Hale, and Pat McManaman back up their high pitched singer, with their combined guitars for a great performance. One will usually do the higher octave scale while the other will do the "chug-chug-chug" sound. Usually bands like this, become tiring, almost generic, but with Chiodos, it is easily enjoyable because this band is quite unique. A few tracks with notable guitar proficiency is "There's No Penguins In Alaska" and All Nereids Beware".
The bass, played by Matt Goddard is really just there to provide the sound. Only on occasion does he go above and beyond the normality of bass. But when he does, it sounds just as polished as one would hope for.
Drums, played by Derrick Frost (who is no longer a member of Chiodos now) are quite refreshing in this band, the double bass kick is not utilized unless necessary unlike all those other hardcore bands, so it's sounds quite different. Do not let this fool you though, during the breakdowns, he will use them, but it's not really a bad thing. The drums just don't give a groundbreaking performance yet they aren't generic and boring either.
Four music videos for the songs "One Day All Women Will Become Monsters", "The Words 'Best Friend' Become Redefined", "Baby, You Wouldn't Last a Minute on the Creek", and "All Nereids Beware" have been made, and in my opinion these are the best tracks.
The Keys played by Radley Bell, are what makes Chiodos not so generic. They flow up and down the scales, creating beautiful moments in the songs, or creepy sounds that send shivers up your spine. When combined with the few breakdowns in the album, it is indeed one of the better parts of Chiodos.
Note: There is no synth sounds, it's purely piano.
All in All, AWTEW is not groundbreaking, yet the do break out from the generic sing, scream, sing, scream, breakdown, scream.. etc. Plus Craigs voice is quite refreshing and beautiful in most tracks. If you're a fan of hardcore, chances are you've heard of Chiodos already, but if not, this is the album to start on (as the newer 2 aren't as good in my opinion).
Overall, 4/5
