Review Summary: Chiodos regress their sound slightly and bring us an enjoyable, if ultimately predictable, album.
Devil is the fourth full length LP from Michigan-based post-hardcore sextet Chiodos. The album also marks the return of the band's original lead singer Craig Owens who was let go from the band in late 2009 for reasons that were never explicitly stated. Chiodos' previous effort, Illuminaudio, saw the band changing up their style quite a bit, making their slight progressive element more prominent effectively making their sound more massive, complex, and mature than it had ever been before. With Devil, however, Chiodos seem to have returned to their old ways bringing us another straight-forward, catchy as hell post-hardcore record.
On this latest album Chiodos have returned to their original songwriting formula which consisted mainly of catchy hooks, vivid and emotive verses and some intense, yet often pleasant instrumentation; and with Devil it's plain to see that the band have nearly perfected that formula. The instrumentation switches between fun and heavy in a blink of an eye, however the transition is never jarring and it always feels appropriate. Craig's vocals have seen some improvement as well; his voice isn't quite as grating as it used to be when he goes into his higher register and he harmonizes beautifully with the backing vocals with songs like "Ole Fishlips Is Dead Now" and "Why the Munsters Matter" exemplifying these points quite well. Lyrically the album is fairly poetic and Craig's delivery makes them feel that much more eloquent and powerful. The album also sees the band heading in an even poppier direction with songs like "3 AM" approaching dangerously close to pop-punk territory; and while some may have a problem with the band's current progression, a more pop influenced sound seems like the natural course that Chiodos was destined to take had Craig Owens stayed with the band to begin with.
Thanks to Craig's solid vocal work and some thoroughly interesting instrumentation from the rest of the band Devil is an extremely enjoyable album that definitely warrants repeat listens. And while the album isn't nearly as mature or intricate as Illuminaudio it is, however a very memorable and fun album that has plenty to offer the legions of teens that Chiodos' older material appealed to in the first place.
