Album Review: The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me by Brand New

When Brand New released Deja Entendu in mid-2003, it caught a lot of their fans off guard. It found the band taking a stylistic leap forward from the clever (albeit cookie-cutter) pop-punk of their 2001 debut, exploring expanded sonic textures and indie rock overtones, their urgent choruses tempered by acoustic musings and softer introspections. It all seemed very deliberate yet completely natural all the same, and the record was an underground smash.

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After releasing emo's finest moment, Déjà Entendu, in 2003, Brand New retreated into self-imposed silence. Now they're back: unblemished by the slow death of the scene they gave grace to, the New Yorkers are still juggling raw, unremitting rock and dense prog, still softening their powerful punch with enough pop melodies and catchy hooks to satisfy a Snow Patrol fan. Taking its title from a conversation singer Jesse Lacey had with a schizophrenic friend, their third album is a claustrophobic battleground where good fights evil, love is pitted against death and the tension never lets up.

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