by
Brand New
- Record Label: Interscope
- Release Date: Nov 21, 2006
- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
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The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me is the completion of their pop-punk molting process and one of the best surprises -- that isn't really a surprise at all -- to come out of 2006.
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This is a superb album, and each time you listen to it you’ll find something new to like.
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Brand New took a huge step forward in 2003 with Deja Entendu, tossing away everything predictable about emo. But the leap on their third studio album is even bigger, and gutsier too: using rock’s earthly forces to amplify the heart’s greatest loves and fears, and in the process summoning the kind of grandeur that blows minds in bedrooms and raises fists in stadiums.
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But though the intelligent rock is good enough to give you goosebumps, it's the angel in these fiery rockers who wins the tumultuous war of wills.
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The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me builds on its predecessor's articulate wordplay, with lush tones that evidently evolved over the band's extended break.
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They sound like a completely new band.
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Their third effort finds the four-piece twisting confessional post-punk into something startling, brash, and exhilarating.
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With any band, ambition seems inextricably tied to bloat, but The Devil's better moments make a little pomposity endurable.
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New Musical Express (NME)A compelling record that bears more resemblance to the indie of Bright Eyes or Modest Mouse than anything found on 2003's 'Deja Entendu'. [18 Nov 2006, p.33]
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Alternative PressA quantum leap above not only Brand New's prior work... but beyond anything that any band in this scene are currently creating. [Jan 2007, p.129]
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SpinThe mall-ready hooks and occasional stabs at acoustic pop on Deja Entendu have been replaced by the sort of Radiohead-indebted bombast that begs to be played at lease-breaking volumes. [Dec 2006, p.99]
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Paste MagazineWhile not as great a leap in style or maturity, The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me showcases more of what's great about the grown-up Brand New. [Feb 2007, p.60]
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Entertainment WeeklyGone is the self-reflective wit of 2003's Deja Entendu, replaced with beefed-up guitars and overwrought references to God. [1 Dec 2006, p.87]
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Billboard"The Devil and God" plays its hurt with polish and panache, however, as Brand New's textured dynamics marry mood and an aggressive ebb-and-flow on nearly every track. [25 Nov 2006]
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 182 out of 203
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Mixed: 4 out of 203
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Negative: 17 out of 203
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Dec 29, 2010
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May 24, 2015
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Sep 16, 2014