Change can be strange. After transferring from mathcore band Blood Has Been Shed to the melodic metalcore act Killswitch Engage, Howard Jones redefined himself and evolved as a vocalist, pushing the band's sound along with him. Unfortunately, he — and theband along with him — hit a stumbling block with the uninspired and unfocused Killswitch Engage in 2009. While Jones' ejection reinvigorated Killswitch Engage — who came back with the excellent Disarm the Descent in 2013 — Jones' new outlet finds him putting out more of the same on Devil You Know's debut, The Beauty of Destruction.
Much has been made of Devil You Know's status as a supergroup, but the music does little to support that; despite containing members of All Shall Perish, Bleeding Through and Devolved, they really seem to do everything in their power to emulate Jones' last band. The result falls victim to the follies of Jones' last effort with Killswitch, as melancholy choruses fail to elicit the same response as the soaring anthems he is capable of.
The occasional success ("Seven Years Alone") or breakout — "A Mind Insane" shows what this could have been — does little to push Devil You Know beyond second-rate Soilwork or new In Flames, which is a shame when you consider the talent behind it.
(Nuclear Blast)Much has been made of Devil You Know's status as a supergroup, but the music does little to support that; despite containing members of All Shall Perish, Bleeding Through and Devolved, they really seem to do everything in their power to emulate Jones' last band. The result falls victim to the follies of Jones' last effort with Killswitch, as melancholy choruses fail to elicit the same response as the soaring anthems he is capable of.
The occasional success ("Seven Years Alone") or breakout — "A Mind Insane" shows what this could have been — does little to push Devil You Know beyond second-rate Soilwork or new In Flames, which is a shame when you consider the talent behind it.