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Chiodos - Bone Palace Ballet with mostly potent punk |
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Review by Andy Argyrakis When Chiodos officially debuted in 2005 with All's Well That Ends Well, the band quickly became Vans Warped Tour darlings and landed on the pages of Alternative Press more than many acts do in a lifetime. Sales and fanfare followed at rapid pace, setting the stage for tremendous sophomore album anticipation and turning up the pressure cooker for the guys to strike gold yet again. Though there are a few rough spots along the way on the follow-up Bone Palace Ballet, the group mostly achieves its goals of grandeur wrapped around a post hardcore/punk aesthetic."Is It Progression If A Cannibal Uses A Fork?" combines Queen-flavored guitar riffs with emotional vocals that learn in the remarkably dark but vividly descriptive direction. The tune succeeds at combining elements of Chiodos' own intensity with flavors of Emery and My Chemical Romance, though a midpoint spoken word rant borders on self-indulgent. The classically influenced piano pop arrangement throughout "Lexington (Joey Pea-Pot With a Monkey Face)" is much more accessible in nature, though the lighter disposition is likely to turn off die-hards hoping for a heavier direction. However, Chiodos' pummeling screams and back breaking guitars continue during "Teeth the Size of Piano Keys" and "The Undertaker's Thirst For Revenge Is Unquenchable (The Final Battle)," sure to produce all out audience chaos in concert. Yet the disc also misses its mark on a few occasions, most noticeably on the melodramatic plugged in power balladry of "A Letter From Janelle" and the piano-cemented emo whine-fest "Intensity In Ten Cities." It's not enough to imply a slump this second time around, but coupled with one's preference between the monstrous rockers and tamer tunes, could mean the difference between buying the entire offering or only downloading key tracks. |