The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me Reviews

• brand new progress and make a mature rock album...

  
  By A2V5AGMDQ7A5XM on 2006-12-11
  well, this albums been out for about a month now and i've listened to it about 30 times roughly. i've blasted it in my car, fallen asleep to it on a few occasions, and i've listened to it very thoroughly with headphones while reading the lyrics. even though it took about 3 years to get the nerve to write a review on "deja entendu", i believe i'm ready to announce judgement on "the devil and god are raging inside me". i'll try to do this from a musical and open-minded approach rather than being bias about the album.
  
  my final judgement of the album is that it's GENIUS. it's a flat-out amazing record that blurs together genres as well as ditch some as well. their first album "your favorite weapon" was an amazing record and i consider it to be pop punk done right with an "edge" to it. the huge transition and progression from "weapon..." to their second album "deja entendu" was nearly catastrophic as every one knows. i didn't think i was hearing the same band when i listened to that record at first. it took about 8 listens to realize what "deja" was all about and that's when i found it's genius within.
  
  beware (or rejoice) brand new fans, because brand new have evolved and progressed once again. they basically ditch all of their old ideas and song structures on weapon and deja and have created a new record and sound with amazing guitars, clever/meaningful lyrics, and just stunning music! it took me awhile to figure out how to write a review on deja so this one won't be easy as well. so here it goes, and i hope it gives people an insight of what this new offering sounds like from brand new.
  
  the 3 biggest overall changes i noticed with this album are the following:
  
  1) the overall dark theme of all the songs....even though brand new was darker on "deja" than "weapon", they show it even more on this album. the album gives off extremely dark imagery and is very emotional and could be considered depressing to some. i wonder where they got some of these riffs because some of them are just plain haunting and eerie. this is definitely not a negative thing, because it relates to the lyrics and songs which in turn makes them deep and meaningful.
  2) the songs are overall slower and jesse's vocal delivery....jesse's vocal delivery on this album usually starts off with a soft-spoken whisper then explodes into this emotional frenzy of screaming. most of the songs are like this and have no pattern to them whatsoever which makes this album a hard listen for some brand new fans. the switch to quiet to loud isn't overwhelming on every song except for on the tracks "you won't know" and "luca" where it's actually kind of disturbing. however, there are a few songs on here that have a dance vibe to them but still very dark and desperate sounding ("not the sun","archers") as well as a few acoustic songs that keep the same rythm throughout the songs ("jesus christ","handcuffs"). it's a very "interesting" style to say the least.
  3) finally, a phenomenal improvement on the guitars....this is what stood out to me initially upon the first couple of listens and is why i instantly fell in love with the album. the guitars on here are progressive-sounding in the likes of pink floyd, the who, the smiths, the cure, etc. and just have a classic sound to them. the crescendos on this album along with the guitar parts are what really make this album shine IMO. you have to hear it to know what i'm saying. for example, check out the end of "limousine".
  
  a lot of people are saying this is brand new's version of radiohead's "the bends" album. i disagree with that. i believe deja entendu was brand new's "the bends" album and "the devil and god are raging inside me" is their "ok computer". i have a feeling that brand new's next album will be a bomb dropped on music listeners like radiohead's "kid A" was to fans. i guess we'll have to anxiously wait and see. as for influences on this album, radio head is present. also, i can't help to hear modest mouse in a lot of the songs. you can also tell that their good friends in Nightmare of you have rubbed off on their music giving a dancey feel like in the songs "archers" and "not the sun". lastly, you can hear a heavy influence of older bands like the smiths, the cure, and joy division. every track is amazing in it's own right but the true standouts to me are "sowing season (yeah)", "jesus christ", "degausser", "you won't know", and "not the sun".
  
  those were the 3 biggest changes/improvements i found on the album. it's a real piece of art and is going to be a classic album that will stand the test of time for rock music. forget emo, heartcore, screamo and all those meaningless cliche terms...this is a mature rock album that will define great music in the 2000 era and will be talked about years and decades from now. i'm not going to say if it's better or worse than "deja entendu" because that's the album everyone's comparing it to. they are both great, amazing albums that everyone should hear or give a chance. i recommend to anyone and everyone but i can't help to feel that you have to be open minded, somewhat intelligent, and be able to appreciate meaning with music to enjoy brand new or this album. if your music library is limited to rap, country, and commerical rock...chances are you're not going to understand or appreciate this album. since your reading this review, you're probably not one of those people. highly recommended, of course, and if you get the chance...let people who are not familiar with brand new hear this album. it might just change their taste in music for the better...
  
  i apologize for the lengthy review but i feel i had to give this album some justice. hands down, the record of the year and is possibly the one of the best records i've ever heard...
  
  

• A much more mature Brand New for a more mature audience.

  
  By AREFLBBZBG3DP on 2006-12-08
  Brand New's boldest album is a must buy for fans of music. Any of the reviews that you have read claiming that their new sound is a bad thing are wrong. This album has made a leap forward in both maturity and content as great or greater then the leap that Deja Entendu made from Your Favorite Weapon. For the "fans" of Brand New who are saying that this album does not live up to Deja Entendu, I simply say that you are not at a point in your life where you can appreciate where the band is going. The band departs from lesser teenage issues in this album and moves on to deeper thoughts and perspectives. No longer is the band struggling with drinking and women, they are struggling with guilt from past mistakes, a strong desire to have faith and to change but the uncertainty that comes with it. The tracks "Sowing Season", "Jesus", "Limousine", and "You Wont Know" all offer incredible depth and emotion that Brand New fans are accustomed too. The most touching song on the album for me is "Limousine" which was written about the 7 year old Katie Flynn who was killed last year by a drunk driver on her way home with her parents after their wedding. She was the flower girl and her life was taken by a young man (24) who had just finished partying with some of his friends. When paramedics arrived on the scene they found the mother holding Katie's decapitated head in her arms. What an Earth shaking event to write a song about! What a life changing song! I'm sure many of you out there have driven after drinking a few too many. Many of the songs on this album will really shake you up when you study the lyrics and really listen to them. That is an example of the deepness of this album and the way it can make your realize things. The band is laying it out there that there is much more too life then feeling good and living for ourselves. Brand New had transcended Post Punk or whatever label you want to put on them from their previous albums. 5 stars. You wont regret buying this album if you are mature enough to appreciate it.
  
  

• Fans of Brand New Beware

  
  By A2Z2DFZ8P4E1FD on 2006-11-27
  The reviews here amaze me, do you people have ears? I'm a huge Brand New fan, the transformation from YFW to Deja was amazing. I love both albums, despite them being very different. This album is again very different but in a horrible way.
  
  I don't even know where to start, possibly the horrible audio, which makes you wonder which basement/garage the album was made in. Some songs make you want to completely sell out with Brand New and send in a dollar for lyrics because it is physically impossible to understand what is being sung. Possibly the random screaming for screaming's sake the Jesse occasionally belts out for no reason what-so-ever as it goes against the tempo of the song. The large majority of the songs are the same slow, monotonous pace, maybe out of boredom and a need for a little variety they mix in the occasional screaming fit, who knows... obviously not the band. The band has lost everything that made them special, and instead of replacing that loss with something new, fresh, and just as special... we get a band intent on making three cord songs with lyrics either spoken at a slow light volume or screamed at you (Probably to make sure you didn't fall asleep while listening to this dribble), with equipment bought off of ebay, with lyrics that albeit are not shallow but cannot be related to by anyone who listened to and enjoyed the two previous albums. What a horrible dissapointment, truly sad.
  
  

• one of the best of 2006

  
  By A1AP3RBSPZSP2S on 2006-11-28
  these are some points that bothered me about some reviews:
  
  inaudible lyrics: lots of the songs on deja entendu were difficult to understand, i remember listening to "the quiet things..." for the first time, as well as many others on deja, and having no clue what was being said. that goes for tons of songs by any band. when he wants to be heard word for word he is, and when maybe the raw emotion and music are more important lacey lets those shine more than the specific words he is saying.
  
  the slow beginnings to songs is another style that was used on deja, look at "tommy gun" and "play crack the sky," which is compeltely slow -slow doesn't mean bad. unlike other bands, brand new doesn't use soft parts of songs to simply set up a more energetic part. there isn't a soft bridge on every song like most bands utilize that use the same chords simply softer. they are placed deliberately and consistently.
  
  additionally, many of the songs are three chord songs -some using the exact same chords and progression. the chorus of tommy gun is the same as the verse for the quiet things, g, c, e, c. that doesn't make it bad, it's the layering of the music that makes it more complex. yfw is a cd full of three chord songs. in the devil and god the tempo changes and complete changes in sound within songs are put to great use in this cd and the lead guitar on this album is superb compared to their last two. the layering of guitar riffs and sounds is a great change from the previous two albums.
  
  as for the screaming, its a stylistic choice that shows the rage inside of him -hence the title of the cd. the cd is about opposing forces within him -delicacy and rage, good and bad. you can't criticize them for a choice to change their style. the music is fantastic -and a huge step from both the previous cd's. not one song includes only screaming, nor does one include entirely hushed vocals. all 3 cd's have included slow songs and lots of repition of the same powerful line.
  
  anyway, the two instrumentals are fantastic. especially welcome to bangkok -which might be one of my favorite on the cd. brand new's musical capabilities has finally caught up to jesse lacey's lyric writing propensity.
  
  the devil and god are raging inside me is an incredible album, with a focused theme throughout. just like deja entendu was for me, it took multiple listens for me to appreciate every song. after a week of listening to it close to non-stop, i am now in love with every single song. like anything, not everyone is going to like this cd, but it is a big accomplishment for brand new and exceeded all expectations i had for their third album.
  
  

• An urge to vomit is raging inside me...

  
  By A1SWC1LFNQJS6S on 2006-12-20
  I was really excited for this album to arrive. Not soiling-myself excited, because it's been three years since "Deja Entendu" and that is a year too long. Rumor had it that the band had to scrap their first try at album No. 3 because the label rejected it as "not good enough." Ouch. But the title was full of promise: "The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me." I got even more psyched up when I saw a new t-shirt design for the band that said "Fight Off Your Demons." Who better but Jesse Lacey to tackle the moral cesspool our generation is mired in?
  
  I wanted to hear more from Brand New about the weight of impossible standards perpetuated by the self-help worldview that's replaced morality, the myth of the actualized self: "If you can dream it, you can do it (and there's probably a pill that'll help)," like they did in "Failure By Design." Alkaline Trio and others have touched on these moral themes, but for my money Jesse Lacey was *the* lyricist to tackle the Big Question first posed by "Tired of Sex" by Weezer: "What constitutes a happy and just life in a world where everything is permissible?"
  
  Frankly, I hope this is that album that the record company rejected. Maybe they decided to release it after all and they're holding back on the real album No. 3. Or maybe they accidentally sent the wrong master to the pressing plant. That would be a fiasco and a tragedy, but what would be worse is if "The Devil and God" was the best new album Brand New could come up with after two tries. Cause it is terrible. What happened? Jesse's voice sounds fantastic (when he's not screaming like Kurt Cobain), but in every other respect this sounds like a high-school basement band struggling to imitate Brand New. Jesse's lyrics just might be as good as I hoped, but I'll have to consult the CD booklet to find out, because I can't bear to listen to this any more. The production is claustrophobic and without detail, just a wall of near-white noise. The songs are flat and predictable and devoid of adventure.
  
  This album really wants to be "important" and "meaningful," and I really wanted it to be both. Brand New's old music was more intimate. It drew its energy and poetry from relationships, often failed. This time Jesse turns his attention entirely inward, to "The Devil and God"'s detriment. To me the theme of "The Devil and God" is that Jesse has a failed, dysfunctional relationship with *himself.* That could've been such a potent, resonant artistic message... but let's not confuse efforts with results.
  
  I get the feeling that Brand New might've forced "The Devil and God" to conform to its subject matter, or to an agreed-on or wished-for concept: "Let's make this one really, really, really dark," or maybe just "Let's change our sound AGAIN"... without letting songs just arrive and inspire the feel of the album naturally. The tempo rarely rises above "ballad," and we never get a good musical reason why it should stay so slow. The sense of humor that's all over "Your Favorite Weapon" and even "Deja Entendu," and so evident in even the darkest music of Jesse's idol Morrissey, is wholly absent.
  
  The mood is certainly passionate. It's also constant and devoid of subtlety... that sort of monotonous excitement that bands who *wish* they were Brand New so often sound like. I tried really hard to pull a late-Cure atmosphere out of the eighth-note bass lines and the bombastic production style, but the songs were too sledgehammer-obvious to allow this. It's probably not fair of me to try to impose a desired influence on the sound, but guess what, it happens all the time. Just not here... the bullying, punishing mix does not leave the audience one inch of interpretive room to make the experience their own.
  
  The undeniable passion in Jesse's voice (he really does sound great on this, better than ever) can't invigorate the crude, sub-par songwriting. A textbook example of this (among many) is "Jesus Christ," a hookless, plodding riff that never evolves. Brand New definitely know (or knew) how to make simple work: witness "Mixtape" or the perfect "The Boy Who Blocked His Own Shot"... but not a single song on here transcends the sum of its parts (and believe me, I was listening for it with all my might). "Not the Sun" was the only song (and incidentally the fastest) that seemed to betray a glimmer of Brand New's previous strengths, and it wasn't enough to get even a second star out of me. What a bitter, bitter disappointment. On the bright side, I guess there's nowhere to go but up for album no. 4. I hope they try again.
  
  
  
• Biggest Disappointment Of 2006, Maybe Ever?
  By A15L8T3HSJ3WS6 on 2006-11-24
  I would consider myself big Brand New fan. I liked "Your Favorite Weapon" and I would rank their second album "Deja Entendu" in my Top 10 favorite albums of all-time, and I own over 1,000 CD's, so that is saying something. I was really looking forward to their new album, which seemed to take forever. For the longest time I heard nothing about the band and their website offered no information. Finally news came of "The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me" and I was excited, to say the least. I expected nothing more than greatness from this album, but I allowed myself that doubt and understanding that there is no way they could top "Deja Entendu" musically or lyrically.
  
  So I picked up Brand New's new CD on Tuesday morning and gave it a spin. I felt like a good friend of mine just died, because what I heard was a completely different band. But it wasn't a good kind of different. I have a very diverse musical collection and I like when bands change, for the most part. Brand New took such a huge nosedive on this release. I can sum up the new album with a few words; boring, groggy, spaced-out and dumbed down. The band seems uninterested and it shows in the music. They sound like they don't want to be there and they're only interested in noodling around on their guitars and trying very hard not to make a mainstream album. This will get ZERO airplay, unless that come out with a radio station geared towards the most boring music on the planet. If this gets played on the radio, there will be a rash of car crashes as a result, because drivers will be falling asleep left and right.
  
  I hate to say it, but "The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me" is the biggest musical disappointment of 2006 and perhaps off all-time. It's hard to imagine that there can be such a dropoff between albums, but Brand New managed to achieve it with this release. I can't believe this thing is getting 5 stars from some people, I can't give it any lower than the 1 star rating I gave it. It's horrid, a musical atrocity that numbs the brain and leaves you wondering what you're listening to.
  
  
• Grow Up
  By AQAU5411CRAEX on 2006-11-26
  This album deserves a few more reviews to bring the ratings up. Some of these short sighted, one star reviews are an atrocity. This album, yes, is a step in a new direction for the band, and in its own way it is incredible and moving. Its independence from Deja is something that I'm sure the band was going for, and they achieve it here. For anyone who wants Deja Entendu pt. II, you won't find it here. Nor does it make much sense that you would want to. Bands grow. It's a good thing. Their work overall now shows an incredible range and growth. YFW is a fun, punk rocking, if simplistic album. Deja Entendu showed a massive maturity, and had a kind of mellow groove that moved away from YFW. TDAG moves even further from Deja, retaining the incredible lyrics, but ramping it up, adding a tinge of grunge, a progressive feel, and ultimately becoming a lot more of an agressive album in the proccess. The title is "The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me," people! That suggests some anger, some conflict, and this album lives up to that title exactly. You won't find the well worn emo formulas of tortured relationships and love gone wrong here, but you will find evidence of a conflicted mind and a tortured soul.
  
  The only critique that I can honestly give is a relatively selfish one: the album is way too short. It's a bit of an unfair critique, because it hinges entirely on my having heard the demos before the album was released. It seneless at this point to argue over what should have made the album that didn't, they made the decisions as a band and TDAG is what they chose to release. Technically we should have never known that there was any other possibility. That said, I really would have liked to see a couple of the demos make the album in place of some of the instrumental tracks. I like "Welcome to Bangkok," but the other instrumental could have been cut in favor of another full song. Better yet, they could have just added some extras and had a longer CD. After nearly 4 years, a 14 track album isn't too much to ask for. Hopefully they'll release an EP with some of the demos that didn't make it. Songs like #1, 2, 4 among others are way too good to never see the light of day officially.
  
  Other than that minor, rather unfair gripe, the album is a masterpiece. Just go buy it. If you're a Brand New fan, you should love this album. If you're a Brand New fan and you don't, then I question whether you really gave it a chance. Plenty of people attacked Deja Entendu, which now everyone fawns over, because it was a huge departure from YFW. Give it a few more spins and grow up a little. Jesse Lacey is around 28 years old now. Let's not expect him to keep writing like he's 18. If you're willing to mature along with this band lyrically, emotionally and musically, you will love this album.
  
  
• Brand New is growing up, and it's a very good thing.
  By A2R9PWPRXKD2CR on 2006-11-27
  This album is absolutely fantastic. The thing with "The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me" is that everyone is busy comparing it to Deja and Your Favorite Weapon, but I think you need to get this album, stick it in your CD player and just take it in without trying to draw parallels. Yes, they are all Brand New, and you can still easily see it's an album by the same band. But this album doesn't just catch you like the others, it needs some time to sink in and be absorbed, which I personally love. The lyrics speak truth more than ever before - the album starts out with "Sowing Season" where Jesse Lacey writes "Was losing all my friends...was losing them to drinking and to driving." Next, in "Millstone," I relate to "I was the glue that kept my friends together, now they don't talk and we don't go out." This is a far cry from "Soco Amaretto Lime"'s sentiment, but it shows that Brand New is growing up. And since I'm growing up too, this album just feels right. I highly recommend buying it. Just do it.
  
  
• Perfect.
  By A3OPL5L5GSCSU2 on 2006-11-27
  3 years, 5 months, 4 days. That's the amount of time between the release of Deja Entendu and The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me. Most people will tell you they didn't spend all 1,283 days, 30,792 hours, 184,752 minutes, 110,851,200 seconds waiting for Brand New's third release but I did. Having first heard the band in 2002, before Deja was release, I was hooked. I saw them perform live as often as I could, I joined the street team, and I yakked about them to my friends until they couldn't take it anymore. And then they set Deja Entendu loose on the world. And everything stood still. The drastic change in musical direction, however, was to be what this band would become known for.
  
  The moment Deja graced my ears (yes, a few weeks early, I go for the leaks, what can I say?) I was aching for what was next. If these boys could switch from heart felt but fully emo pop punk ballads they belted out on Your Favorite Weapon to the intense, brooding, intelligent, emotion filled songs that Deja carried, what on Earth could they do next?
  
  This question is answered nearly three and a half years later with The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me. A disc full of songs from men who have grown from the boys they once were. Matured into beings that are more adept and skilled with words than I could ever even dream of being. Mastering their instruments in such a way that every second of this disc, including the two nearly instrumental pieces (-- and Welcome to Bangkok) don't need audible words to send shivers down your spine. A disc that includes pop culture references (such as in the song Luca and it's reference to the Godfather) as well as literary ones (Kipling's "If" in Sowing Season) and somehow manages to explore a man's faith and his questions about it. Though these men still grew from boys and as we all know, boys have problems with girls. The ever present theme of love and loss doesn't hide on this disc. The disc is a struggle of good versus evil, God versus the Devil, a man versus himself. Lacey shows the world again why he's the one holding the pen and you're not with lines such as "We're never gonna feel as full as we felt/So lets go outside and we'll play William Tell/Take your time drawing a bead/I'll stay as still as you need/'Cause you're good at talking smack/You heart attack/But you're the apple of my eye anyway" from the song You Won't Know. Each song builds you up and tears you down and leaves you with the hair on your neck standing straight up.
  
  This CD, this disc that was 3 years, 5 months, and 4 days in the making, is worth every moment it took to get out. Jesse, Vin, Garrett, and Brian have proven yet again that you can't peg this band down into one genre because they'll take your model and smash it to bits. And sound brilliant doing it.
  
  
• the best album of 2006
  By A2QJ6V4FSLDRM0 on 2007-01-23
  This is not meant to be a real review for those of you out there who do not have the album, but you are entitled to read it either way.
  
  When i first bought the CD, I think i was almost more excited just to get it open and hold it in my hands. This album was 3 years in the making and possibly the most worthwhile wait i've ever encountered.
  
  Their first record has hints of what was to come with their intense lyrical style, the intelligent wording and the metaphors but that album had an overwhelming sense of pop-punk to it that really allowed it to fall by the wayside in the eye of the critical press. The second album was almost a new band, Deja Entendu was possibly the most drastic progression for a band i had ever heard. The lyrics turned from clever ways of saying that a girl left you to clever ways of saying much more important things. Songs like "Sic Transit Gloria... Glory Fades" and "Guernica" dealt with much more thought provoking ideas. The first dealt with a boy being forced into sex by a willing and experienced girl but it hinted at the boy lying to say he wasn't a virgin and the girl was just trying to impress him whereas "Guernica" dealt with Jesse Lacey(singer and song writer)'s grandfather who was diagnosed with lung cancer during the writing of the album.
  
  The new album is an even more drastic jump from Deja. The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me is full of Bible references, sad stories & insight into Jesse's personal life that only he can give you.
  
  The first song, "Sowing Season (Yeah)" is said to be about all the people who passed away during the making of the album (which totals up to 14 mentioned in the liner notes that accompany the album).
  
  The second track, "Millstone" seems to be an inner monologue that Jesse has with himself about his faith in God and the love of his parents (i.e. "I used to pray like God was listening. I used to make my parents proud.").
  
  The third track, aptly titled "Jesus" is a song written to Jesus Christ himself about his second coming and Jesse's inner turmoil over what will happen to him on that day ("I know you're coming in the night like a thief. But I've had some time, O Lord, to hone my lying technique. I know you think that I'm someone you can trust, But I'm scared I'll get scared and I swear I'll try to nail you back up").
  
  The fourth track is a song about the demon that lives in Jesse's friends attic ("Take apart the demon up in the attic to the left") but also seems to deal with his faith in God and the idea of Armageddon ("When I arrive will God be waiting and pacing around his throne?... Yeah, I admit, I am afraid of the reckoning").
  
  The fifth track (i feel the most intense, lyrically) is called "Limousine." The song is written about a tragedy that occured on July 4th, 2006. What started out as a beautiful wedding day for a young woman turned tragic when a drunk driver (Martin Heidgen) got into his pick up and proceeded to drive drunk down the wrong side of the road at 70 miles per hour. The drunken drive was cut short by his collision with the limousine carrying 6 people from the wedding to their homes. The crash killed the driver instantly and the flower girl from the wedding, Katie (7 years old) was decapitated by the twisted wreckage. The others were injured and the father was taken into intensive care. The saddest part of this story is this: Katie's mother woke up shortly after the wreck occured and proceeded to pull herself from the vehicle only to find the severed head of her daughter lying on the ground. She held onto her until the medical team picked them all up. The song talks about someone named "K" which is most likely Jesse's attempt not to disclose the name of the girl. the first verse is said to be from Katie's mother's view with lyrics such as; "And I have one more night to be your mother." The first verse also talks about Katie spreading the petals as she did that day as the flower girl in the wedding. The second half of the song is from Martin Heidgen's perspective talking about the guilt that will crush him. The song ends with a refrain that repeats the same lyric over and over but counts to seven and stays there (example: "i love you so much, but do me a favor baby, don't reply..... one loves you so much.... two loves you so much...") and when it reaches 7, it stays there. this is said to be one of many things (or all of them). He could be referring to the girls age, the seven deadly sins or any of the mentions of the number in the Bible. all in all, this song is my favorite.
  
  The sixth track, entitled "You Won't Know" is also said to be partially about Katie Flynn, saying "So pray little Kay, love's God on a good day
  And you can't blame your mother" and refers to her as the apple of his eye as they play "william tell" to pass the time.
  
  The seventh track, called "Welcome To Bangkok" is an instrumental with only one line repeated 3 times: "Space Cadet, pull up."
  
  The eigth track ("Not The Sun") is possibly a song about a past lover of Jesse's. The chorus consists of one line repeated over and over: "Won't you be my babe?" The song also makes mention of the girl moving on and says that if she "breeds," just don't tell him and be his babe.
  
  The ninth track, "Luca" is a song based loosely around Luca Brasi, a character from The Godfather. ("Please drop me a line with a hook and some raw bleeding bait, For I am uncaught and still swimming alone in the lake.")
  
  The tenth track which stands untitled is another instrumental with just one lyric hidden amongst the music: "I could never listen."
  
  The eleventh track, "The Archers Bows Have Broken" (referred to as "Archers") seems to be about throwing out your beliefs and deserting your friends and loved ones. The song's lyrics refer to hell freezing over and shouting but not being heard. The songs really seems to be an insight into Jesse's thoughts.
  
  the 12th track was written by, guitarist, Vin Accardi. The song, called "Handcuffs" is a song about inner thoughts, things that people tend to think about but would never admit to. Some of the ideas expressed are driving a car off of a cliff as long as his loved ones weren't in it or drowing the crying babies (maybe in public) but only if the mothers didn't care. A lot of people find the lyrics to be creepy and strange but I tend to look at it as a bold statement of things that no normal person would admit to thinking.
  
  Overall, this album is the best of 2006, even though it came extremely late in the year, it has impacted me greatly and i'm sure we'll be listening to this album for years and years to come, still discussing it and still debating over the meaning of the songs. No matter your opinion on Brand New, this album is a masterpiece and cannot be rivled by any other artist within the genre.
  
  Thank you for reading.
  
  
  
• Another Boring Brand New CD
  By AVRULM34KBVWE on 2006-11-23
  First off let me start by saying I've never really been a hug fan of this band, but they have had their moments and a have made a few songs that are really genious and amazing. Brand New's first CD is a really good cd. I rarely listen to it but when I do I still enjoy it, it's a good effort. Then on Deja Entendu the band like went into a whole new direction. The hype over Deja Entendu (which isnt my favorite albums) though it was a very good album still bothers me with the long drawn out moanings and low talking with songs that take too long to develop and lose my interest. This new cd is like a continuation of that same idea. Sure it was cool the first time but come on!! This is like the same CD with just less emotion and less effort and nothing that really stands out. Another thing I also don't understand about this band is how people can call them the "quintessential" emo band. That couldn't be farther from the truth. Taking Back Sunday "Tell All Your Friends", Get Up Kids "Something To Write Home About" or Copeland "Beneath Medicine Tree" are the top contenders in my book. I tried listening to this cd but I can't 4 tracks into it I turned it off. I'm gonna go listen to The Game CD now. Album of the year.
  
  
• new Brand New, and it's about time
  By AK6PDYF58Z7WL on 2006-12-04
  I honestly thought I was going to be disappointed; I wasn't really feeling the demo's they released in between Deja Entendu, and The Devil... Jesse Lacey once again proves that he is one of the more skilled pop lyricists, who is very aware of his idiosyncrasies (very much like Morissey), and is not afraid to explore his inner "devil." The band musically is getting better, creating a great synchronicity between vocals and melody. This is exactly how I imagined the perfect follow up to Deja Entendu (with darker themes), and I couldn't be happier. Definitely one of the albums of a year full of gems.
  
  If you like/dislike the review let me know, thank you
  
  
• What Happened?
  By A2AFC93P5GFZW7 on 2006-12-25
  As a huge fan of Brand New for three years now, I was incredibly excited for them to finally release a new album. I'd heard some of the tracks from a demo CD a few months ago and was overjoyed at how their lyrics and Jesse's vocals had improved, but they had retained the same sort of sound as in 'Deja Entendu,' just evolved a little bit.
  
  And then this came along.
  
  Musically, these songs overall don't make sense. Many of them don't really have hooks and don't have any real sort of melody to them. For some people, this is fine, but it is a complete departure from what Brand New had done so well in the past. Frankly, I'm sure that the lyrics are great, but I could hardly stand to listen to all of these as many times as necessary to really process them. I am one of the first who would be able to find good in Brand New's music - but honestly, this was disappointing at best. I'm sure that the lyrics are clever and poetic as usual, but if I read *all* of them I would probably feel like hibernating for six months seeing as this album never departs from its uniformly depressing theme. Having an album with the same idea throughout is just incredibly boring.
  
  Let's hope that they go back to what they were so good at, because this sucks. End of story.
  
  
• Worthwhile but a step down
  By A3XB3GILKHCRE on 2006-11-21
  Note: I am a massive fan of Brand New's 2 previous albums, but this record shakes them from my list of favorite groups.
  
  A departure from the more emo vocal style used on both previous albums, Jesse seems very comfortable with the band's new sound, but the music here simply doesn't carry the impact of those albums. The lyrics are as tongue in cheek as you'd expect, but the sardonic attitude towards relationships is replaced with a vague yet persistent irritation with organized Christianity, which isn't as charming or as convincing as his (charaded) superiority complex expressed in songs like Okay I Believe You from Deja Entendu. A less inspired album, and I almost prefer the 9 demos the band released earlier this year (the version of Sowing Season on the demo is much prefered to this cd version), but the songs are good on the average with several highlights (namely: Millstone, Degausser, and Limousine).
  
  
• it sure is a "November to Remember"
  By on 2006-11-22
  (just a note: this is not a under 13 review)
  
  Brand new formed in Levittown almost six years ago. Since then, this band has grown teh same amount as anyone has. think about it, If you're eight, in six years, when you're fourteen, you are not going to be the same. Your voice changes, your writing style changes, and yet, you are the same person. This is what happened to Brand New. They are the same people, they are the same musicians, and their music is getting the same praise.
  
  TDAGARIM has been highly anticipated since late 2004, espeically since "Jesse Lacey's personal diary", the nine demos, leaked in January of 2006.
  
  TDAGAIM opens with Sowing Season (Yeah), who listeners of the demos will recognize as Demo 8. (Luca is also a refined version of the Sixth demo). Sowing Season is my personal least favorite, which is still better than most songs I have heard. From start to finish, the album leaves behind so much; there's a melodic and beautiful eerieness throughout the whole album. Many of the songs start out slow, picking up and ending with a bang (except for Jesus Christ, which stays steady throughout the song's entirety). This is especially shown in Luca, which terrifies me every time I listen. You Won't Know is my personal favorite, just listen and you'll know why. Not The Sun incorporates a bit of "new wave" (but also oh so truthful) and glam, being the shortest song on the album, just shy of four minutes. Limo is the album's epic moment, topping 7:40. With repeating croons of " I can Dish it out. but i can't take it" for the last few minutes. There are two "instrumental" tracks which are anything but filler (untitled and Welcome to Bangkok). handcuffs was written by Mr.Accardi, and has brilliantly creepy lyrics. This song is constantly in my head.
  
  This album is a must for any Brand New fan, or someone into the Alternative genre of music, today. TDAGARIM has been described as an epic work, talk to me in ten years and I'll tell you. After listening to this album a good 8 or 9 times, I can finally say i like it. It never had to grow on me, that's just how long it took for me to really appreciate brand new's new effort.
  
  Overall, 5/5.
  Stand Outs:
  Luca
  Not The Sun
  You Won't Know
  
  The only songs I'm really not pleased with is Sowign Season and Archers, but they're amazing nonetheless.
  
  
• A Highwater Mark for Emo.....What Rock Music is Meant to Be
  By A2FO2BAQ3EUSFB on 2006-11-23
  Simply stated this cd is a masterpiece. I am a 48 year old who enjoys most rock music past and present. My music purchases the last few years have left me yawning and bored after hearing one band after another put out the same old 3 minute cookie cutter, corporate sounding songs especially among bands in the emo genre from both seasoned tour bands and new bands. Brand New finally gets it right for all those bands who misfired with mundane releases passed off to the consumer as something worthy and new. Instead of songs tainted with saccharin, Brand New gives us songs loaded with soul. Instead of listening to songs about a "dude's" heartbreak over a girl who dumped him for another guy at a California beach, Brand New gives us songs filled with raw emotion about the ups and and downs of life. Instead of hearing the latest contrived screams from a singer, we hear singing with sincere angst. Instead of songs with clever, catchy titles (i.e. Fall Out Boys) that cover up shallow, goofy songs, Brand New gives us straightforward titles that introduce us to creative songs of meaningful length. Every band in Brand New's musical category needs to learn from this band on how to write songs with structure and lyrical content while wrapped in emotional tension. Songs that are filled with heft and meaning.
  
  The best song on the cd "You Won't Know" is the highwater mark for this band and will be tough to top in their coming releases. One of the best songs from any band or artist that I have listened to in the past couple of years.
  
  These songs and this cd will stand the test of time. I have bought dozens of cds this year and this is the best one. I rarely write cd reviews, but I felt people needed to know about this diamond sitting in the overstocked cd shelves filled with musical muck at their local Best Buy store. Go and get it and experience what rock music was meant to be.
  
  
• A near flawless album....
  By ABEVLF9SUQYSU on 2006-11-27
  Wow. Brand New has taken yet another step forward. If you have followed Brand New at all, you will have seen the dramatic leap in maturity and songwriting from their debut album, "Your Favorite Weapon," to the follow up in 2003, "Deja Entendu." It was quite the jump. Don't get me wrong, YFW is a cool album and fun to listen too, but "Deja Entendu" blows it away. Its almost hard to belive that within two years Brand New matured that much and released Deja. Amazing progression. Yet again, Brand New have taken another leap forward. With this progression comes, "The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me."
  
  Let me just preface my review by saying that this is just a fantastic album, and vintage Brand New. I honestly don't know how to cateragize them as a band. It would be unfortunate to lump them in with all the other "emo" bands, as it were, because Brand New is so much more than that. With this album, they seem to experiment a little more with prog rock. It was a little noticable on Deja, but its prominent on this album. There is alot of buildup to the songs, and I find the sound to be amazing, because once it kicks in its very powerful. The only flaw with this prog song structure, is that the album is not quite as accessible as Deja was. This is not a album you can just jump into a love all the songs. Your really need to soak in and absoarb it. Listen to it from begining to end without a break, and you'll see.
  
  Lyrically, this is a great album. Very strong and powerfull vocals delivered by Lacey. He has a great voice, very unique. You can he has alot of passion for what he is saying, it really comes through in the music. I notice this even more than on Deja. Is this album better than Deja? In some ways it is. But it will never take the place of Deja, its a different piece of work. This is one of the absolute best albums of 2006. I've been waiting for a follow up to Deja for quite awhile, and while it may have took 3 years, it was well worth the wait. This is a perfect companion piece to Deja, because it takes what was great about that album, and then evolves and goes from there. Brand New is very talented. No question. I personally, can't wait to see what they will pump out next and where they can go from here.
  
  
• Better than Deja
  By A2TOKH4O9SRB5K on 2006-11-29
  This album is truely better than Deja Entendu. Although when I first heard deja, it sounded mature and completely different than YFW. I listened to Deja the other day and realized that although different, it isn't necessarily a "mature" effort. This, on the other hand, is fully realized. The only downfall is that some of the lyrics are pretty lame. I can't remember which song but the lyrics seemed painfully cliche...something about driving a car off a cliff or something. At the end of the day, it's Brand New's best. Have my babies, Jesee.
  
  
• new Brand New!
  By A2MRI39DOW8K0F on 2006-11-30
  The new Brand New album sounds like a raw, American Radiohead... its dense, dark and devious. I love it. Will you? Not sure...
  
  
  
• Oh Brand New..
  By A2WXV86BOARH19 on 2006-11-30
  Being a HUGE fan of Brand New, I'm really disappointed to say that this CD is not spectacular. The first time I listened, I couldn't even finish all 12 tracks, but being such a follower, I decided to give it another chance. Some songs grew on me, most didn't. I am so used to the raw emotion of their lyrics, lyrics that send chills through my bones. But on this new album, compared to their last two, the lyrics are very mundane... the ones you can actually understand, anyway. There is a lot of unnecessary screaming which does nothing but dilute the strong powerful voice that Jesse Lacey has. The same goes with all the harmonizing. It isn't needed.
  Well, all in all, The album is at a higher level of decent. Besides the fact that the album was WAY WAY WAY over produced, there are still a handful of good songs.. As well as a few really awful ones. Three and a half stars. =(
  
  
  
• Earth shattering dynamicism at it's best
  By A7PBQOXFNWZLF on 2006-11-30
  I've always liked Brand New's album "deja Entendu". I think it is a very emotional and musically interesting album with a lot of great songs. BUT with the release of "The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me", Deja Entendu takes a distant second. I've seen reviews say "Oh, it's good, but it's not as good as Deja Entendu. The screaming is unnecessary" and so on and so forth. I have to say that this new album is a dynamically unpredictable, inventive, creative, lush soundscape of such profoundness that my heart could barely take the act of the next song coming on because i didn't know if i could handle knowing that the next song would be even more amazing than the song i just heard. It's mind blowing and spectacular. Not only the best Brand New album but maybe even the best album i've heard in years.
  
  
• fight your demons with this cd!
  By A27VLZLYWUAKHN on 2006-12-03
  Ok, I don't usually write reviews to anything because I never feel strongly enough to do so. In this case, it was different. While this album has a much different sound than the previous, it is possibly their absolute best work. The music and lyrics are outstanding and this band or cd cannot be compared with anything else. In other words, it's simply better than anything else I've heard in a long time. Not sure what this band had to go through personally to make an album like this but it's dark and honest and actually makes you feel something. I think if you've been a brand new fan you'll love it as long as your not one of those people who don't allow bands the chance to change or evolve, especially when it's done emotionally. If you're "new" to brand new, and you simply want to hear a good honest record, this is for you.
  
  
• Amazing.. Best of '06?
  By A1RH74HMR9PX4L on 2006-12-04
  This Cd is amazing. I think the best thing about this CD is that every song is its' own piece. It doesnt drag the same concept and tone over and over. Brand New has definitely matured. There's tons of emotion in each song, and while they don't use the full capacities of the lead singer's voice, they use it well in accordance with the music. I'd name some standouts, but they are all really, really, good. First to jump out at me were: Millstone, Jesus, The Archers Bows Have Broken and Handcuffs. Two things that I really didn't like.. They chose "Sowing Season" as the single, which is a great song, but doesn't seem fit to be the single on this CD. The other problem is, really, that this CD really leaves you craving a lot more. Every song had me wanting more... but with only 12 tracks and 2 of them lacking vocals, it really left me a bit disappointed. Nonetheless, the songs are breathtaking, and music this good doesn't come around very often.
  
  
• Post-punk scene heroes return with a monument of sonic perfection.
  By A1ELH5EAPD9DZ3 on 2006-12-05
  If the creative leap Brand New made between their debut 'Your Favorite Weapon' and its follow-up 2002's universally praised 'Deja Entendu' was a sign that the Long Island post-punk group were building something monumental, then 'The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me' is that something.
  
  Boldy allowing themselves to write a flawless modern classic at such an early stage in their career, Brand New have crafted a sonic masterpiece filled with subtle genious from start to finish. Singer/guitarist Jesse Lacey sings barely above a whisper over moody and textured instrumentals one moment and screams at the top of his lungs in concert with crashing cymbals and dischordant guitar feedback the next. Lacey's chilling vocals deliver heart-wrenching lyrics ("Do you believe you're missing out and everything good is happening somewhere else?" he sings on the mood-lowering 'Jesus') simultaneoulsy recalling both Kurt Cobain and Elliot Smith, often within the same song. And like Cobain and Smith before him, 'The Devil And God' is proof that Lacey has the potential to become the voice of a generation.
  
  Drenched with somber atmosphere and sophisticated indie-rock sensibility , 'The Devil And God' is the elusive perfect recording that most bands spend their careers striving for but few achieve. An instant classic destined to influence a generation of musicians, Brand New's new album should not be passed by.
  
  
• incredible
  By A265I22DTUTZA6 on 2007-01-01
  ive been waiting and waiting for a new brand new album for a long long time...everything they put out is just incredible and nothing nowadays comes close to the music and lyrics..."Your Favorite Weapon" was just an incredible journey into teenage angst and just ooozed with punk-rock...
  
  Their 2nd album "Deja Entandu" threw away everything u thought u knew about the band into deeep dark depths...just an incredible beautiful album....
  
  finally after 3 LONG years...they finally release "The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me" which justtt...made my year...it reminds me a lot of deja entandu but a litttle darker and mysterious...jesse lacey wears his heart on his sleeve with the lyrics he writes and u just stand in awe of it.
  
  here the songs..
  1. Sowing Season (Yeah)- 9/10
  i luv this record as the opener...just sets the mood of the entire album. great song.
  2. Millstone - 7/10
  well written song. great lyrics...
  3. Jesus Christ - 10/10
  prob my fav song on the album...lyrics are just incredible...killer track.
  4. Degausser- 8/10
  unlike any song they've ever done...chorus is creepy. very dark
  5. Limosine (MS Rebridge) - 9/10
  creeepy song...starts out reeel slow but picks up near the end. song is kinda grew on me after a couple listens. unique.
  6. You Won't Know - 8/10
  great song..luv the chorus
  7. Welcome To Bangcock - 10/10
  incredible instrumental...perfect place in the album...luv every second
  8. Not The Sun - 9/10
  this song jumped out at me when i 1st heard it. def a popular track.
  9. Luca - 10/10
  -- ........amazing.....wow.
  10. -- - n/a
  lil instrumental..but not in the way
  11. The Archers Bows Have Broken - 10/10
  amazing song. reminent of old brand new to me...but yah one of my favs
  12. Handcuffs - 10/10
  great closer to a near flawless album.
  
  overall...a dark journey that will leave u speechless...dont try and figure this album out because its just dark and mysterious and i luv every second....no other band brings to the table what this band brings and thats y brand new is #1.
  
  
  
• WOW
  By A2UWHGFP0MKGY3 on 2007-02-19
  I don't usually write any reviews, but I felt apt do to so in this case. Once in a long while, after years of listening to tons of music, there comes a time where an album hits you in such a way that you realize why you listen to music all over again. This is that album (for me at least). It's such a dark album, even darker than the previous Brand New albums if you can believe that. All I can say is get this album and find out for yourself. It has revolutionized the way I listen to music. I mean, this album puts so many others to shame, so much of an aura it possesses that I believe it shadows it's own predecessors (weapons, deja) as well as many other albums I once thought were great. I am now embarrassed to listen to many other artists I previously thought were amazing...this album managed to strip something away from those albums in a good way (my eyes are open). As a huge music fan, this album slips into my top ten easily, very likely in my top 5. Enjoy!
  
  
• Trying Way Too Hard
  By AQE5ZI3OIBQPH on 2006-11-23
  Wow, so I certainly don't agree with most of these reviews. I just picked up this album and was hoping for something...I don't know... a little less pretentious.
  
  I love Your Favorite Weapon, its pop punk at its best. Deja Entendu was definitely a change but still had an edge to it, still had a vocalist giving energy and the songs still moved you. Both of these albums were masterpieces.
  
  I knew they were going to try something different but the album is just boring, artsy-fartsy, weird just for weirds sake. If you want to lay around on heroin all day playing with a loaded gun then this is the album for you. And everyone keeps saying its very original, well if you want to know what it sounds like think of Midtown's bomb of an album "Forget What you Know" mixed with the worst parts of Bright Eyes.
  
  Most of the time he doesn't sing but speaks in a low voice that lacks any kind of real energy, every once in a while they build up to a faster pace but most of this album is slow and boring. Sure there are some weird sound effects in the background, some original tones, a few moments of brilliance but overall it certainly hasn't been worth the wait.
  
  The insert is even worse. Its just a bunch of blurry photos of nothing, no lyrics, nothing worth reading. I hate when artists let their own b.s. go to their heads and I'm afraid I'll have to file Brand New under this category now. Its really a shame though, I was hoping for something more...
  
  
• pretentious, dull...
  By A2P91X8UO9KEBM on 2006-11-24
  I hate to say it, but I have to agree with some of the less pleased reviewers here: the new album is musically boring, pretentious, and I also couldn't listen past the first 5 tracks.
  I really enjoyed Your Favorite Weapon. I thought Deja Entendu was even worlds better. Despite being over-emotional, Deja Entendu didn't come off as pretentious or as if they were trying too hard. It had interesting and quirky music (off beat, interesting guitars and drums and good riffs), and big memorable verses and choruses.
  
  The new album has generic, swirling/droning/repetetive guitar parts, and unmemorable verses...and the choruses are even worse than the verses (sometime indistinguishable from the rest of the song). The songs are dirgey, and just reek of trying too hard or not caring enough...masking bad songs by trying to prove how intelligent or experimental they are.
  I thought the first single, Sowing Season, was okay. Not a single, but decent enough for a B-Side or a non-single track. I was really disappointed that it was _easily_ the best of the first 5 songs I heard.
  
  And I don't want to hear that I just don't "get it." I listen to all sorts of music...I love it when artists change their sound or experiment and succeed. But these are simply musically uninteresting, lyrically pretentious, mediocre-at-best songs.
  
  
• Haven't written a review in a while....
  By A33DWGP7J753DE on 2006-11-25
  ...But when I read the The BS flowing from the mouth of these "consumers" I had to help bring this albums rating back up. If you are not a true Brand New fan, or a music in general, DON'T WRITE DUMB REVIEWS! This album is in no way groggy, dull, slow or repetitive. It is really how someone feels when they are fighting thier inner demon's. The album was tentivly titled Fight off your Demons and the is what Jesse is doing here. Sorry for you teeny bopper types thats can't get into songs that aren't about girls and breakups. Thier first 2 cd's were great but this is truly on an entirely different plane. Bravo Brand New! You definetly topped yourselves! Sorry for some of the grammer problems.
  
  
• Brand New lives up to their name.
  By A1SYWDBE9MWSW on 2006-11-25
  With each album they create, Brand New tries something new. And anyone who thinks this album is lacking, boring, dull, or pretentious had better give it a few more listens. Admittedly, it is lacking the things that made Deja Entendu such a remarkable album: those sexy, funky songs like "Sic Transit Gloria" and "I Believe You..." Despite these facts, this album puts you into a mood which you can't escape, you'll begin to reflect on past events in your life, each lyric will strike a different chord with you, but you must be in a certain state of mind for it. This is not an ideal record for say, partying or dancing to... But if you're feeling down, depressed, or just want to relax, throw on this album and escape.
  
  And now for the typical song by song rundown:
  
  Sowing Season - one of my favorites of the album, starts out quiet, gets slightly louder, exudes pure emotion.
  
  Millstone - this song will have you humming "take me out tonight" for a few days. also has a bit of a desperate tone to it, very emotional and strikes a personal chord with me
  
  Jesus Christ - good song. not much else i can say.
  
  Degausser - beautiful song, love the chanting chorus. has a wonderful melody.
  
  Limousine - at almost 8 minutes long, this is where it gets slightly boring. nice harmonizing in the verses. at 2 minutes in it starts to pick up and sounds a bit like classic brand new, with a bit of a bluesy touch. love the lyric "said i love you so much but do me a favor baby, don't reply, cause i can dish it out but i can't take it"
  
  You Won't Know - one of the loudest songs on the album, very aggressive. love the guitar work as well, one of my favorite songs. the part before the end is pretty funky, and will most likely get your head movin, if only for a few seconds. then it goes to a mellow, haunting outro.
  
  Welcome to Bangkok - an intermission type song that starts out acoustic and gets loud.
  
  Not the Sun - closest thing to old Brand New so far on this album. nice and fast.
  
  Luca - starts out acoustic, picks up a bit, but doesn't get very loud. nice relaxing song until the end, then it gets loud.
  
  Untitled - not really a song, just soothing guitar for about 2 minutes.
  
  The Archer's Bows are Broken - like Not the Sun, this song is fast and actually reminds me a bit of something on Your Favorite Weapon, but the similiarities are light. a unique style of vocals and some nice guitar makes this song better than most on this album.
  
  Handcuffs - Ending the album on a soft note, this song is beautiful.
  
  If you have the UK version, theres a bonus track which is just a mastered demo version of the song Luca.
  
  Give this album a chance, you won't regret it.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

• Deja Entendu
• Your Favorite Weapon
• When Your Heart Stops Beating
• The Black Parade
• Louder Now