“I feel like we were a lot more on the same page this time round. We grew up a lot in the few years we spent apart from each other and learnt a lot about songwriting in itself.”
With frontman Craig Owens and drummer Derrick Frost back in the fray, Chiodos’ original line-up have returned wit their fourth album, Devil, as they prepare for an Australian tour which brings them to Amplifier on Wednesday, February 4. AARON BRYANS speaks with synth player, Bradley Bell, about the reformation.
Following the 2009 firing of Craig Owens and Derrick Frost by their bandmates, post-hardcore group Chiodos were forced to start afresh with a new frontman and a redeveloped sound, releasing their third official studio album, Illuminaudio.
By 2012, Owens and Frost had returned with a fourth studio album immediately in the works.
“We just wanted to, for our own good, make sure that our relationship was something that wouldn’t forever haunt us and for the fans’ sake we wanted to show everybody that it can be okay, that we can move on and be friends,” Bell retells. “It was awkward at first walking into a room with people that you haven’t seen in a few years and you’ve heard nothing but bad things said. It’s all nice going and it was very rewarding to do. You can’t hold grudges forever, life is too short for that kind of stuff.”
Their fourth studio album, Devil, was well received with many critics claiming that the album continued an already increasing momentum, with the band’s growth coming full circle.
“I feel like we were a lot more on the same page this time round,” Bell explains. “We grew up a lot in the few years we spent apart from each other and learnt a lot about songwriting in itself. We all had the same goal in mind and we were able to do what it takes to get to that. Being in a band is all about compromise, but at the same time finding your role and enjoy yourself while you’re doing that.
“We’re still going through some changes. When we got back together it was never meant to be forever, we wanted to put a period at the end of a story that was so dramatic and that’s what it was. We got back together, played a bunch of shows and released a record. We were able to do that and now we’re at a place where there are a lot of looming paths right now, we want to write another album, it was great to have the original line up for an album again.”
In between their current touring schedules, the re-established group have been hard at work in preparation for their fifth album. With no official release date, the band are comfortable to be back at work and continuing to please fans.
“It’s going good man, we’re on tour. We have two more days then we’re going home on the holidays for a little vacation and then we’re heading down Australia’s way.
“We’ve already started writing stuff for another record. We don’t have a timeline for when that will be released, but we’re fortunate enough to have some great bands on tour and re-establish ourselves and what it was we were doing. We found ourselves again and what was important to us when we play live music. I feel we have a better understanding of that again.
“The shows the last week-and-a-half have been great. I feel like we’re sounding better then ever, it’s real tight. Everyone that is here is having a good time and that’s what is most important. You can tell when a band doesn’t enjoy each other or being there but everybody that is here wants to be here and it reflects on the crowd and helps us step up our live performance to the next level.”
