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Virginia, North
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The Chiodos Bros: The Heartless Control Everything
[Search and Rescue] 

Listening to this new record by the Chiodos Bros. is a refreshing experience.  Im quite pleased to discover that their sound is a bit of a challenge to classify, although some might bring up the dreaded E word.  Of course, nowadays, emo seems to apply to any band that takes their music seriously, which is something the Chiodo Bros. certainly seem to do.  However, Id like to suggest that a more descriptive E word in this case might be energy, because this record mixes the voices of two very strong energetic vocalists.  The lead vocalist might fit into the friendly category of New Found Glory or perhaps Saves the Day, but then this other guy kicks in with these hardcore screams on songs like Compromise of 1984 and The Lover and the Liar that seem to both accentuate and trivialize what might otherwise be the standard emo delivery.

And wouldnt you imagine that a clunky piano or keyboard player would have no business in a band we will now poorly describe as hardcore-emo?  Well wrong you are, because The Chiodos Bros. throw another wrench in the works by using these instruments as yet another counterpoint to your normal expectations.  And as a seven-song EP, The Heartless Control Everything delivers no filler.  The songs even have variable structures of guitar grooves that throw the verse-chorus-verse formula completely out the window.  To really understand what makes this band interesting, just listen to the way the singers overlap and interchange their vocal duties, and you soon could find yourself as pleasantly surprised as I was.

This album can be purchased at Search and Rescue Records

The Chiodos Bros Official Website

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