Destroy Muffins Until God Shows

Many of you may be familiar with Craig Owens’ work with Chiodos, and many of you probably enjoyed it as much as I did. So, when he was booted from that band, I was a little disappointed, as I greatly enjoyed the work he did there. You can imagine how excited I was when I found out that he had a new side project featuring members of Matchbook Romance, Story of the Year, Underminded, and From First To Last.

That’s right boys and girls; Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows is a veritable screamo/post-hardcore powerhouse. Often abbreviated “D.R.U.G.S.”, the band wanted a name that would spark some controversy and conversation, and they certainly succeeded. However, we’re not here to discuss names; we’re here for the music. And the music is most definitely worth hearing.

First things first: this album has a parental advisory on it for a reason. The topics and language are not exactly family friendly. Now that the mandatory warning is out of the way, let’s start examining this gem. D.R.U.G.S. kick starts with a little work on the snare rim by Aaron Stern (of Matchbox Romance) before the double guitar onslaught of Nick Martin (Underminded) and Matt Good (From First To Last) hit you in the chest with some nice discordant rips on “If You Think This Song Is About You, It Probably Is”. Then Craig’s familiar vocal style makes its appearance. This is where you will determine whether you like this album or not; Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows are heavier than Chiodos ever was – they like to throw metal influences all over the place. This band is not your average screamo band. “The Only Thing You Ever Talk About” is up next with some gang vocals before a wonderful little mini-breakdown leads into the verse. A soft synth piece (that sounds like a mix between violins being played pizzicato and a xylophone) shifts nicely up to the guitars playing the same riff, only much heavier. Haunting verses and an insanely catchy chorus will have you singing along to “Graveyard Dancing”. One of my favorites (if only because of the title), “Mr. Owl Ate My Metal Worm” doesn’t waste time as Craig, the guitars, and drums come in simultaneously. Once again, I’m struck by the hooks of this song – you’ll find yourself singing along very quickly, possibly before you’re done the first listen. The controversial “Sex Life” is up next (fans may remember the video Craig released around the middle of January that caused quite a stir). Track six, “Laminated E.T. Animal”, which may be the strangest track name I’ve ever heard, brings us to the halfway point of the album. With a mix of clean and distorted guitars combining with what is either a synthesizer or a xylophone for the verses and a perfect blend of clean vocals layered with screams on the chorus, this song shows just how beautiful contrast can sound when done right.

The second half of the album starts out with a much more metal song than anything on this album so far: “Stop Reading, Start Doing Pushups”. Screams and wicked guitars set the pace for this track and never let up. “I’m The Rehab, You’re The Drugs” has a fun little beat, and you realize that you are now on the eighth straight song that you feel compelled to sing along to. Switching gears to something a little poppier, D.R.U.G.S. brings us the 80’s-esque “I’m Here To Take The Sky”. After this brief departure from their standard style, they jump right back on track with “The Hangman”. This brings us to the final song on the standard edition: the heavy-hitting “My Swagger Has A First Name”, which has hooks galore and lasts for about 3 minutes 45 seconds. However, it’s not done after the music stops. If you wait until about 5:40 into the song, you’ll be treated to… well, I don’t know what to call it, but it’s funny.

If you were lucky enough to snag the deluxe edition of this album, you got one more track: “A Little Kiss And Tell”. I wish this song had made the cut for the standard album, because it’s as good, if not better than the rest of the album, and it would certainly fit right in with the rest of D.R.U.G.S.’s debut outing.

Overall, I was both excited and worried when this project was announced. I’ve seen vocalists booted from a band before, and the music (if it can be called that) they created post-expulsion was awful, while the lyrics were so obviously bitter toward the band that it made me sick just listening to it. While this album does have its bitter moments, Craig does a fantastic job of crafting catchy music with incredible lyrics. Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows have given us a fantastic album, and I can’t wait to hear more from this supergroup.