While Brand New rose out of the New York hardcore scene in 2000, the band did not make much of a mark until its second album, 2003’s Deja Entendu. That album became a cult favorite based on a style that bordered on the emo genre while pushing toward something more—a tense, self-conscious exploration of pain, loss, and hurt. Expanding the sound of Deja Entendu the band has become more bombastic, its songs more crafted, like Coheed and Cambria, but with The Cure rather than Rush as its musical template. The songs aren’t particularly long-winded, but often feel like it, with arrangements that lend a sprawling, epic tone to singer/songwriter Jesse Lacey’s lyrical themes. “Jesus” is a solemn number, with Lacey questioning life, death, eternity, and his place in it all; “Limousine (MS Rebridge)” slowly crescendos into a swirl of pain, hurt, and electric guitar wail; and “You Won’t Know” finds Lacey raging overtop a simple guitar line that effectively frames all the caged emotion in the singer’s voice. “Not the Sun” adds a subtle New Wave touch, and “Luca” builds off of an acoustic guitar line, focusing more on ethereal atmospherics than fast-and-loud raving. It is all very thought out, as though every note was carefully scripted toward the greater artistic vision, and perhaps this is some of the problem. While overall The Devil and God is an engaging listen throughout, it sorely misses the tension and release that made Deja Entendu so affecting. Where the latter had a palpable feeling of uncertainty, with singer and band seemingly constantly at the brink of explosion, The Devil and God is a more carefully planned disaffection, which can sometimes take away from the overall effect.
~ Frank Valish
Release date: November 21, 2006
Buy Album from CD Universe
