Apr 22, 2026 at 12:02 AM @Justin Trudeau @AOTWClub Brand New - The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me Brand New is a band that I've heard very little of despite being in genres that are some of my favorites (partially to all the Jessie Lacey s---). I've heard high praise of this album and know its very important to the genre also enjoyed Limousine from when it was in the mixtape round so im intrigued to jump into this! Sowing Season (Yeah) is a perfect opener, incredible track all around, Jessie Lacey's performance and writing are very strong and the instrumentation is equally enthralling for both the quieter verses and explosive chorus. The same things is said carries over right into Millstone, really loving where the vocals sit in the mix and the phrasing for the lyrics are perfect. I love well written depressed white boy music so much. This album is a lot more laid back and pretty sonically than i was expecting and Jesus Christ is a great example of this. This might be my favorite in the tracklist so far. The concept to this track is super unique and executed perfectly while still having the ability to be relatable. 5mins is around the length songs can feel long if they're not structured properly but this is perfect. I like doing the track by track reviews but I'm afraid it will get redundant on this project cause its so consistent but Degausser is incredible. The group vocals into the chorus is gorgeous. This is the kinda s--- that would've helped shape my personality and taste if I heard this when it came out. Idk whats up with Emo and Post Hardcore albums wanting to talk about real life deaths but learning what Limousine about was awful, but it makes the song even stronger in context. f---ing great harrowing song. All the backing vocals of "Ill never have to lose my baby in the crowd" and "ill never have to buy adjacent plots of earth" are so harrowing given the subject, then going into the droning outro. Its perfect. You Won't Know keeps up the flawless run so far, a lot more in your face than most of the other tracks but it works in its favor. Really helps the pacing of the runtime. Its a recurring thing obviously within the genre and within the album given the title of the project but all the religious themes and metaphors for the different track concepts really tie the whole thing together quite well. Not much to say about Welcome To Bangkok, very solid interlude kind of track. Just as instrumentally great as the rest of the record. Idk if the one recurring line in this track means anything thats known or if its up to interpretation but its intriguing. I apparently saved Not The Sun before but i dont remember when that all. Really like this track, has a bit more of a straight forward alt rock vibe in the sound and lyrics that was releasing around the same time but still fits. The tempo change before the last chorus was my favorite part, added more texture to it that was needed. Luca is great, I wouldn't expect a correlation between the themes of the record and a character from The Godfather would happen at all let alone work well together but i dig it. Was not expecting the drop into heavier vocals at all which is funny considering the rest of the album but still being able to be surprised this far into the tracklist is a god sign. Love the guitar work on this one. Untitled is deceptively great for how simple it us, super textured, almost Radiohead esque. Super serene and vague haunting. Really liked it. Archers is great, lyrically it touches a lot on my problems with a lot of people who practice religion. Sonically its actually a bit Post Punk-y in a way I wasnt expecting especially in Jessie cadence in the verses, reminds me a bit of Bloc Party. Was not expecting something this high energy after Untitled but it works! Handcuffs is a really solid outro and one of the immediately darker songs on the project to me. "It's hard to be the better man when you forget you're trying" is a simple lyric on its face but thematically very powerful coming at the end of this project. I figured the project would end on a somber note but it's execution was pretty perfect. Favorite Songs: Sowing Season, Jesus Christ, Degausser, Limousine, Not The Sun, Archers Jessie Lacey being gross aside this album is d--- near flawless to me in a genre I already love and its a very rare occasion that 2 back to back albums would be some of my favorites of the whole thread but I'm happy to say thats the case. Not a second of runtime is wasted and its bafflingly consistent. I can see and agree with why this is considered a classic in its niche. @Jimmy Jazz understanding me musically as per usual. RATING 10/10
Apr 22, 2026 at 12:04 AM Gonna get to this tmrw hopefully, heard the first track and am excited to check the rest out!
Apr 22, 2026 at 12:07 AM I thought the Purple Mountains and Brand New albums were close to what picks I've been knocking around in my head to choose cause of what they were listed as genre wise but they're actually quite different in execution so I'm excited again lmao. I now have my album locked and am intrigued to see what y'all think, I'm expecting it to be a little divisive which is kinda what i want.
Apr 22, 2026 at 1:04 AM Sorry if im behind on stuff this week guys im just out here in the rockies drinking and looking for Grizzlies Snowy as f--- still
Apr 22, 2026 at 1:43 AM d--- nice af man You take preparing for the ICEMAN a little too serious though
Apr 22, 2026 at 6:23 AM Lets f---ing goo man. Amazing review, am so glad you like this project as much as I do!!
Apr 22, 2026 at 4:42 PM I'm off tomorrow. It should give me enough time to review the album and jerk off to Sydney Sweeney
Apr 23, 2026 at 12:45 AM @Justin Trudeau @AOTWClub Senim Silla - The Name, The Motto, The Outcome Never listened or heard of Senim before! The intro Keep It Coming is great, charming lyrics and flows and I really love the bright instrumental. Great sample. V for Vesper is crazy, cadences are perfect and I really love it lyrically. "Every verse is a bullet shot, vengeance for Big and Pac for Malcolm, Martin and Marcus and martyrs I forgot" is such a sick line. Brother's Killed Malcolm keeps up this really solid run. Really liking the subject matter so far and the sampling is great. Was not expecting the Pink Floyd interpolation. I appreciate the bit of a switch on Less Than Capital bit the main loop in the beat is a little goofy for me. Senim does great and makes the song for this one imo. CCR interpolation on this one is very cool. Rear Window is really solid. Rhymes are great, both Senim and Naaman k--- it. 2nd verse is incredible, one of my favorites on the project. Wild Life is cool, feels like what Less Than Capital was going for in terms of the beat being a bit more funky but it works way better here. Hook is great. The Awakening has a clipping. a--- beat but it weirdly works for me here. Plus he threatens Bill Mahers life which raises it many points in my book. 2nd verse is crazy as h---, perfect harmony between flow and lyrics. Breaking the Law is alright, one of the least interesting lyrically to me but im a sucker for good rhyme schemes so it evens out. I get the spoken word part and it works but it's not the best replayability, its not annoying though at least which is good. Yeah is great, absolutely love the guitar loop. Silla's voice fits this kind of sound perfectly. Short and sweet. For the Record is fun, I didn't know how to feel at first but it grew on me. Really like how it actually sounds like a DJ made and chopped these beats, i miss it. 3rd verse is the highlight. I Hate Him is great, very groovy. Very charasmatic energy lyrically in this one specially. Sample chops are perfect. "From e2 to e8 the game ain't over til checkmate" is a super fun line. One for the Money is a good closer, beat is great. Love really love the juxtaposition between his outlook as a child to an adult on this song. Works really well as a way to get to know Senim a bit more. Overall i really really liked this! I would not know this was from 2007 if it wasn't shown on streaming and i mean that as a compliment! Idk how much I'll go back to it but I'm definitely keeping this saved cause this scratches a hyper specific itch for me that pops up every once in a blue moon. While I'm sure people can do deeper dives on the record to do it more justice than me on all the themes of race, religion and much more, all i can say is good s--- and thanks for the pick/keeping up the streak of great projects @Allis Mines! Favorites: Keep It Coming, V for Vesper, Rear Window, Yeah, I Hate Him, One For The Money RATING 8/10
Apr 24, 2026 at 12:03 AM @AOTWClub Vacation review of Brand New-God and the Devil are raging inside of me. Gave the album a listen on the plane and once when I couldn't sleep Solid album, I really enjoyed most of this gonna check out the rest of their work 7.5/10
Apr 24, 2026 at 12:24 AM @AOTWClub Brand New - God and the Devil Sorry for basic a--- review but I listened to this a few days ago in the car and can't remember much apart from the fact I was vibing to it. It reminded me of radiohead. Giving it a solid 8/10
Apr 24, 2026 at 4:07 AM Brand New-God and the Devil are raging inside of me Same as the last album, it's hard for me to really do a track by track when it comes to albums. I like that this band switches up a more calm style and a lot of energy! You Won't Know is a good example of that lol. Not a fan of songs with no or almost no vocals (like Bangkok). I mostly like the songs that are more upbeat like Archers, Not The Sun but Millstond is another personal favorite. Def added a few of the songs on here to my playlists!! Thanks for this one! @AOTWClub 7.7/10
Apr 24, 2026 at 9:31 AM I'm sorry g---, finals season is coming up and I have been swamped. I will get reviews in wherever possible over the next couple weeks, and will have my album pick ready in time
Apr 24, 2026 at 12:43 PM @AOTWClub Brand New - The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me Review: This band and album were Brand New to me, so I wasn’t sure what to expect going I but the cover immediately caught my attention. The album opens strong with a slow build, and the music drop in “Sowing Season” sounds fantastic. “Moving to Millstone” is fantastic. I really like the chorus in particular. It might actually be my favorite track on the album purely from a musical standpoint. “Jesus Christ” slows things down and brings a more mellow reflective vibe. It’s a solid track, even if I’m not usually drawn to songs that focus on religious themes. Sonically, though, it works well. “Degausser” is also a good song, the guitar and vocals stand out. I’d never even heard the word “degausser” before, so while it doesn’t necessarily make the lyrics clearer, it at least gives the title some context. I have mixed feelings about “Limousine.” It’s not one of my favorites and probably a skip for me, but knowing the real life story behind it definitely makes me appreciate it more. It’s incredibly heavy and depressing. “You Won’t Know” is decent overall, though the vocals start to wear on me a bit. “Welcome to Bangkok” doesn’t have vocals, so there’s not much to say there in that sense but the soundscape is great. “Not the Sun” is another track I’d probably skip. It’s a good thing it’s short, because the repetitive chorus starts to get pretty irritating after a while. ‘’Luca’’ brings a more mellow vibe and is a really solid track overall. I especially love the ending just when it feels like the song is about to end it hits you with a heavy drop. Really elevates the whole song even more. “Untitled” feels like it could’ve been left off the album. The melody in the background is nice, but every time he repeats “I can never lose it,” the whispered delivery comes off a little cringeworthy to me. Not much to say about “Archer”. it’s a decent track overall. “Handcuffs” ends the album perfectly in my opinion. Despite the negative points, I think this is a really solid album overall. I wasn’t originally planning to do a track by track review, but after going through the first few songs, I figured I’d go through the whole thing. Anyway, I’d give it an 8/10 Favorite songs: Sowing Season, Moving to Millstone, Jesus Christ, Degausser, Luca
Apr 25, 2026 at 3:15 AM Senim Silla - The Name, The Motto, The Outcome Favorites: Brother’s Killed Malcom, Less Than Capital, Rear Window, Wild Life, The Awakening RIPPER ROO’S RATING: 10/10!!!!!! If this isn’t a 10/10 hip hop album I don’t know what is. There’s so much soul on this album. There’s so much real s--- talked about on this album, especially on “The Awakening”. The flows are impeccable, the rhyme schemes are incredible, the hooks are catchy, the beats are on point, and it’s actually enjoyable to listen to. I listen to a lot of rap so it’s not often that I’m really impressed but this definitely impressed me. Senim Silla actually has personality and sets himself apart from every other rapper which is something not a lot of rappers actually do. @AOTWClub
