If 2003’s Deja Entendu was Brand New wearing its heart on its sleeve, the Long Island quartet’s major label debut, The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me, is a testament to that heart being shredded, stomped on and left to wither. A dark, sexy album, Devil takes the best parts of Deja and makes them even better, with a heavier, more morose sound that clearly demonstrates the band’s new maturity. Songs like “Millstone” and “You Won’t Know” illustrate Brand New’s typical song structure: slow guitar and haunting melodies eventually build into a crescendo of crashing drums and fast-paced riffs with a throbbing, underlying bass line. Singer Jesse Lacey’s voice alternates between a whispery croon (“Handcuffs”) and ragged screams (“Sowing Season”), making the powerful lyrics even more intense. At some points, however, the album becomes bogged down in its own melancholy with lyrics too abstract to relate to. An unnatural chorus on “Degausser” also takes away from Lacey’s singing, while sudden screaming on “Luca” is a little too jarring. Still, the slow intensity Brand New is known for hooks listeners, making it nearly impossible to keep from hitting the repeat button. Grade: A-
— Ashley Mateo, Muse Staff
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