If we are heading towards Armageddon, Ragnarok, or just plain the end of the world, at least we’re not going to be short of a soundtrack. Although you might be forgiven in thinking we already have one; an unholy vanguard led by Azazel and Lucifer (or Simon Cowell and Lois Walsh, as they are called on this plane of existence).
Nonetheless, there is hope yet, in the form of this debut LP from Southend-on-Sea crew Between The Screams. With a specialised electronics player to add to the usual four-square mix, there’s a lot of ambition on display here, and agonisingly, for the first few spins, it doesn’t quite hang together. The drum production, which like Pelican, goes for texture rather than outright power, seems at odds with the rest of the production, and the clean vocals seem incongruous and out of place among the usual cacophony you’d expect from a band influenced by the post-metal daddies of Cult of Luna and ISIS.
However, like those aforementioned bands, Between the Screams need time to sink and absorb their grandeur. ‘LHC’, for example, kicks the album off with a siren-like soundscape, before exploding into a suitable relentless riff and dense hardcore screams. Don’t be fooled by the relatively short running times of the tracks; they merge seamlessly into one another, with second track ‘The Manhattan Project’ following as one step follows another. It’s here the clean vocals make their debut, slotting neatly into place alongside the harsher vocals present, despite initial reservations.
It’s on ‘Blood Red Dawn’ that things really kick off; a stormer of a track, with peaks and troughs aplenty, albeit much more condensed than their more established peers, full of driving rhythmic invention. It truly does sound magnificent, and it’ll be at this point that you become convinced at the true majesty of this album, especially with the electronics tastefully swirling round under the fearsome riffing.
If you like your music challenging, absorbing and thoughtful, this debut from Between The Screams is the album for you. The one complaint that could be made is that the track order makes the album a little top-heavy, especially with an electronics player exponentially expanding the scope of soundscapes. But as a first time offering, the drive and ambition on display is heartening, and bodes well for future releases. And it’s certainly more compelling noise than a couple of gasfitters butchering Celine Dion. Actually, hold that thought...
http://www.myspace.com/betweenthescreams
