Chiodos "illuminaudio"

Chiodos always manages to take me to a different place whenever I listen to one of their albums. I may not always want to go to that place, but they transport me there. I usually associate them with a mansion in the 18^th century, or during the era of dragons (wait, they don’t exist). This is the first time they take me somewhere else, and not only do I have to familiriaze myself with a land of Illuminaudio, but I must do so without Craig Owens.To be honest I really do like Brandon Bolmer’s vocals a lot, and their focus was more on the intricate songwriting than the vocals. The percussion takes prominence on this death march through the haunted “Caves.” This poor minstrel died a mysterious death earlier and no one was the miser. “Love is a Cat From Hell,” and the song is about the omnipotence of karma, especially in relationships. The latin metal vibe and rhythm are nothing short of intriguing, and it’s only right that Vic Fuentes is featured in the song as well. This next song cuts some "Modern Wolf Hair"  from a story, over a millennium old, that eventually became the commonly told Aesop’s Fable “The boy who cried wolf.” They gave it the Red Riding Hood treatment; meaning taking a moderately scary tale and upping the ante. Soasin comes to mind when it comes to this song, vocally; I specifically I hear these voices, but I’m not sure if it’s this “Scaremonger” raging war on the mind. The vocals and an instrumental smidgen resemble that of Saosin’s most well-known single, but then you add that chorus and the drumline that goes with it, more intricate instrumentation, several mood changes, and the vocal climax (with some distortion?) which serves as a prologue to “His Story (which) Repeats Itself.” “Let Us Burn One” sounds like it is referring to a bridge because she never reciprocated in returning what he gave. They use The Phantom of The Opera as inspiration for this next song "Hey Zeus! The Dungeon." "Stratavolcano Mouth"  is about reaching your true persona. Sometimes people behave differently in different situations, and they act as someone they are not as their true personality slowly brims and boils. There might be several personalities, and one is screaming to reach the surface, but would either be misunderstood, or is just the loudest. Being the loudest does not mean it is the right one either; it is just the easiest to hear. Musically the song lives up to its name. “Those Who Slay Together, Stay Together” may end up being words to live by if a zombie apocalypse ever rises.  In the end it was for naught: “This plague has taken control of us/Come through hell or high water/We die only to be born into a monstrosity.”  “Closed Eyes Still Look Forward” whether they hear those voices or not. This one bears a closer resemblance to that song, but the band remains the same. It’s a dreamy indie-pop piano lead affair with lyrics indirectly referring to the life of a traveling band of musical “brothers.” Favorites: Love is a Cat From Hell, Notes in Constellations, His Story Repeats Itself, Hey Zeus! The Dungeon, Stratovolcano Mouth