Chiodos

The Heartless Control Everything

The third release by the Chiodos Bros. (now just Chiodos), 2003's The Heartless Control Everything is mostly another important building block in the still-young band's progression toward their 2005 full-length debut, All's Well That Ends Well. Although filled with promise, the band's better days were clearly still to come. One of the glaring differences between Bros.-era Chiodos and the band who wrote Bone Palace Ballet is the much broader range of styles that the band once attempted to incorporate into their sound, before honing and refining their aesthetic on later recordings. On The Heartless you hear big splashes of chaotic, At The Drive-In-inspired post-hardcore; riffy screamo that recalls Anthony Green-era Saosin; classic, heartland emo a la the Promise Ring and Braid; pop-punk that could make any texting teen swoon; and for good measure, a general basting of early My Chemical Romance. On the five-plus-minute “The Lover And The Liar,” those elements can be found all in the same song, which can be cool at times, numbing at others.

Another important change that came after the release of The Heartless was the replacement of lead guitarist Chip Kelly and drummer Crosby Clark with Jason Hale and Derrick Frost. The impact of the personnel changes would be heard immediately on the next release, All's Well, particularly with Hale's technical, metal-flavored flair infusing the songs with an edge that's not quite as developed on the earlier recordings. As with so many other band's early work, Heartless makes an intriguing listen for diehard fans, but accomplishes little else. 

Search and Rescue Records

Vacation To Hell