''Devil'' is the fourth and final studio album by Michigan

post-hardcore Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression. It was initially inspired by post-punk and noise rock. Like post-punk, the term has been ...

band

Chiodos Chiodos (, ) was an American post-hardcore band from Davison, Michigan. Formed in 2001, the group was originally known as “The Light-hearted Carpet Knights” before changing their name to "The Chiodos Bros," the band's name was a tribute to fi ...

, released on April 1, 2014. The album takes its name from the band's definition of the word "Devil." Returning vocalist

Craig Owens Craigery "Craig" Owens (born August 26, 1984) is an American musician best known as the lead vocalist of Chiodos. He has also had an involvement in various projects such as Cinematic Sunrise, The Sound of Animals Fighting, Isles & Glaciers, ...

explains: The band has also cited American writer

Mitch Albom Mitchell David Albom (born May 23, 1958) is an American author, journalist, and musician. His books have sold over 40 million copies worldwide. Having achieved national recognition for sports writing in his early career, he turned to writing the ...

as a source of inspiration for the album. This is the first album the band has recorded since reuniting with original vocalist Craig Owens and original drummer Derrick Frost, and the first and only album to feature

Thomas Erak Thomas Joseph Erak is an American singer, songwriter, and musician from Mukilteo, Washington, best known as a founding member of the Seattle-based progressive mathcore band, The Fall of Troy and as a member of the band Just Like Vinyl; as well ...

The Fall of Troy The Fall of Troy is an American rock band from Mukilteo, Washington. The band is a trio consisting of Thomas Erak (guitars, vocals, keyboards), Andrew Forsman (drums, percussion) and Tim Ward (bass, screamed vocals) who was later replaced by Fr ...

as lead guitarist after the departure of original lead guitarist Jason Hale. The album was released on April 1, 2014, by

Razor & Tie Razor & Tie was an American entertainment company that consisted of a record label and a music publishing company. It was established in 1990 by Craig Balsam and Cliff Chenfeld. Based in New York City (with additional offices in Los Angeles an ...

. Several songs and videos are slated to be released leading up to the album's official debut. The band headlined the Devil's Dance Tour 2014 early in the year in support of the album.

Sales

The album debuted at No. 12 on the ''Billboard'' 200 with more than 18,000 copies sold during the first week. As of June 2015, the album has sold more than 100,000 copies worldwide.

Critical reception

At ''

Alternative Press Alternative press may refer to: Individual publications * ''Alternative Press'' (magazine), an American music magazine Alternative journalism * Alternative media ** Alternative media (U.S. political left) ** Alternative media (U.S. political ri ...

'', Jason Pettigrew rated the album four stars out of five, writing that on the release the band "aren't settling for anything less than world domination" because "Producer Dave Bottrill has molded Chiodos's vision into a cohesive arc of power, finesse, quirks ''and'' accessibility in equal measures." So, Pettigrew finished with saying "Watch them make good on their promise." Amy Sciarretto of ''

Outburn ''Outburn'' is a print magazine and online publication focusing on alternative rock, heavy metal, punk rock, indie rock Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970 ...

'' rated the album a nine out of a ten, stating that the release "is a full-bodied, dramatic, and richly textured collection of songs that remind us of the Chiodos we knew and love in the late 00s", and that the album has "so much going on with every track on ''Devil'' that you will emerge from the listening experience exhausted but enriched." At ''

The Oakland Press ''The Oakland Press'' is a daily newspaper published in Oakland County, Michigan with headquarters in Troy. It is owned by 21st Century Media, with which its parent company merged in 2013 after filing for bankruptcy. The local historical society t ...

'',

Gary Graff Gary Graff (born 1960) is an American music journalist and author. Biography Originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Graff attended Taylor Allderdice High School where he wrote for school newspaper ''The Taylor Allderdice Foreword''. He receiv ...

rated the album three stars out of four, saying that "Chiodos is back as it should be and rocking with its characteristic blast-furnace, angst-fueled intensity." Gregory Heaney of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

rated the album three-and-a-half stars out of five, remarking that the release "sees them continuing to move forward again, and although Hale's presence will certainly be missed, fans of the band will find that the return of Frost and Owens more than makes up for the loss."

Track listing

Personnel

;Chiodos *

– lead vocals *

Bradley Bell Bradley Phillip Bell (born June 29, 1964) is an American television writer and producer. Bell is an eight-time Daytime Emmy Award winner and is executive producer and head writer for ''The Bold and the Beautiful'', an American soap opera. Ea ...

– keyboards, piano, vocals *

– lead guitar, vocals * Pat McManaman – rhythm guitar * Matt Goddard – bass guitar * Derrick Frost – drums, percussion ;Production * Produced by

David Bottrill David Bottrill is a Canadian record producer. He has won three Grammys. Formerly, he owned Rattlebox Studios in Toronto, Ontario with producer Brian Moncarz. Moneen, Basia Lyjak, and The Getaway Plan are among the artists to have recorded at th ...

* Additional Production and Engineering by Michael Phillips * Mixed by Josh Wilbur * Mastered by Brad Blackwood

References

{{Authority control Chiodos albums 2014 albums