Review Summary: You need to hear this album now. One of the most incredible pieces of art released in the past decade. Brand New when they're good are great, and this is their masterpiece.
2 of 18 thought this review was well writtenThere is nothing to say about this album that hasn't already been said. Devil and God is Brand New's masterpiece. The centrepoint between Deja Entendu's teenage storytelling and Daisy's religious name-dropping in every song. Dark, metaphorical lyrics unmatched by any emo band in history. The Devil and God are raging inside Jesse Lacey, and he lets it out in style.
In this album, Brand new channel the quiet-loud dynamic change used by bands like Nirvana. "Sowing Season (Yeah)" is basically announcing to the people who dismissed Deja Entendu as teenage crap that Brand New is a constantly evolving band. On Devil and God, Brand New takes on something that on Daisy got stretched to a breaking point: Religion. "Jesus" is the least subtle, but there are a number of nods to the concept of God. On "Archers" Brand New even gets a little political, but it isn't Green Day-esque random rebellion, it's material like "The God I believe in never worked on a campaign trail".
Brand New go through the emotions on Devil and God. The slow lead-up to utter chaos and explosion on "Luca" is a perfect example contrary to the constant energetic "Not the Sun". Speaking of "Not the Sun", said song is a perfect example of one of the best qualities of this album: the bridges. Songs like "Jesus", "Limousine" (Brand New's epic), and especially "Not the Sun" feature spectacular bridges. I can safely say that outside "Quiet Thing"'s bridge, "Not the Sun"'s is the most incredible thing I've ever heard.
The instrumentals on this album are probably their best; the guitar is clear when it's not distorted and better to listen to than on Daisy, the drums highlight "Archers" and "Not the Sun", and Jesse Lacey's voice is better in range and depth than it was on Deja Entendu. Not to mention that the material on the album is jawdropping, and it would be very hard to screw that up. Vin's guitar is perfect on most tracks, and his solo on "Limousine" is nothing short of legendary.
Check out this album? I'm guessing you already have, but if not, check it out NOW. This is brilliant to every last word, and it's a privelage to hear this super-talented band at their creative peak.
Pros:
-Incredibly dark and witty lyrics
-Great Instrumentals
-The bridges are amazing
-Very well produced
Cons:
-It ends
