His opening line is “If you are in here tonight and you have never contemplated suicide, then you have never truly been in love.” It’s followed by, “If you are in here tonight and you’ve never contemplated murder, then you’ve never been divorced.” Can you see where this is going? Maybe not entirely, since Christopher Titus’ new girlfriend (a “29 year old Diesel jeans model who has two college degrees and paid for her own boob job”) pops up in the second half, but the first half of Love Is Evol is driven by the standup comedian and television sitcom star’s bitter divorce. Being one of America’s funniest living nihilists, a divorce is perfect fodder for Titus as he explores why he spent years with a “life-force killing ass nozzle” and how jealousy — “the Auschwitz of emotions” — eventually took over. While this kind of one-topic, near-monologue style is usually where the man excels, Love Is Evol is a significant step down from his magnum opus, Norman Rockwell Is Bleeding, which dealt with growing up in a dysfunctional family. Maybe it’s too much too soon, since Rockwell was the distant past and Evol is latest developments. Whatever the reason, the pathos and higher understanding of humanity found in Rockwell is replaced by fury and swagger here, as Titus damns the “thieving harlot” and holds up the Diesel model — who can also track elk — as a thing of envy. There are also plenty of off-topic moments that just don’t fit plus numerous irksome conversations between Titus and his “inner retard” — changed to “Inner Idiot” for the track list. Even without the A-plus focus, Titus can still offer plenty of laughs and there’s little doubt his mega-fans will delight in the phoenix-rising-from-the-ashes part of the story. – David Jeffries