D.R.U.G.S. drops an amazing first album.
After former front man of Chiodos, Craig Owens, was kicked out of the band, he went on to form a brand new band: Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows, or D.R.U.G.S.
The band recently released their first album on February 22, 2011. After one listen, it is apparent that this album is another driven by break ups, and romance gone wrong. As I listened more however, I started to think that maybe Owens was taking a shot at his former band, Chiodos, who has since replaced him with new front man Brandon Bolmer. With lyrics like, “We all know, we all know by now that you’re the only thing you talk about. We all know, we all know by now that things won’t work out, no.” Many Chiodos fans have said that the new vocalist is far from Owens’ better and, if this is true, these lyrics seem to fully support that. “He changed what Chiodos was about; they were a lot better with Craig Owens. Craig put out an energy that can’t be imitated by the new front man, as hard as he may try,” said Chiodos and D.R.U.G.S. fan, Mateo Rocha.
The band sounds like a cross between A Day to Remember and former local band Tickle Me Pink. The vocals have the same rough sound that made Tickle Me Pink so great, as well as the raw power of A Day to Remember. These two elements coincide very well with each other, and work to form the unique sound that is D.R.U.G.S.
This album is a declaration of war against the music scene and popular culture. The music is fueled by anger; not anger that comes from the everyday monotony of life, but an anger fueled by the degenerating morals of society. Subjects like self centeredness, egotistical people, and being used for various reasons show that Owens and the rest of D.R.U.G.S. are on a mission for change, by pointing these things out. This is not to say that the whole album is all rage all the time. In the song I’m Here to Take the Sky, Owens sings about achieving something greater than himself. “If the sky is the limit, then I’ll build a bridge up to it. If I make it back, I’d still want more.” Clearly the band has high expectations for themselves. Two other songs contain some lighthearted endings as well. After a long pause in the song, My Swagger Has a First Name, fake voice mail recordings start playing, asking to hang out with Craig, and maybe go to the beach to throw the football around sometime.
With the purchase of the deluxe version of the CD on iTunes, the buyer will receive two videos and a bonus song. Seeing as how the deluxe version is only one dollar more, this is a fantastic deal. The videos are an extended video for their first single, If You Think This Song is About You, it Probably is, a video that is extremely worth the dollar on its own, featuring high quality filming, and suspense. The buy also receives a 20-minute mini documentary on the band. The best part, however, is the bonus song, which is arguably the best song of the album, A Little Kiss and Tell. This song ends the album on a strong note, with ear-shattering guitar, and powerful lyrics. “I think I’m losing, I think I’m lost…what have we become?” The song sounds like one Craig worked on by himself; a song all about finding yourself, would be fitting after getting kicked out of something that consumed your life for eight years.
Overall, I give this album a 4/5. It isn’t one that I could sit and listen to on repeat for hours, but it is one that I could happily listen to once a day, and be just as satisfied each time.
