Sometimes, there really is a beauty in chaos, and We Were Skeletons embrace it warmly. ‘Blame and Aging’ is the bands third full length and the follow up to 2008’s Self-Titled record.
There has been a resurgence in this type of screamo influenced hardcore recently, and as always with music there are bands that do it well, and bands that don’t. We Were Skeletons, however do it exceptionally well, especially on ‘Blame and Aging.’
The band have focused on their sound and honed it to be undoubtedly one of the best heavy records of the year. It opens with a serene introduction, that a minute later descends into a wave of guitars and pounding drums. The band transition from chaos to beautiful clean sounding passages with ease, giving a sense of calm within the storm of the opening track.
<a href=“http://wewereskeletons.bandcamp.com/album/blame-aging” data-mce-href=“http://wewereskeletons.bandcamp.com/album/blame-aging”>Blame & Aging by We Were Skeletons</a>
In ‘The Buried Seat’ we get some great basslines which sound prominent in the mix, this blends in with some interesting guitar works and the vocals rage above it all. ‘Disease Artist’ is another standout track on the record, it reminds me slightly of another Topshelf Records band, Pianos Become The Teeth but this is no bad thing.
The record travels along at a fast pace, and the four and five minute songs don’t feel overly long, as they are kept interesting by some great musicianship, and clever song structures. The title track ‘Blame and Aging’ is another standout for me personally, whilst it has no vocals what it does is provides a brief respite in the middle of the record, and give you a chance to take in the first half, before entering its second and final act.
During the closing three songs of the record ‘Tremors’, ‘Pain Is Not The Cleanser’ and the records finale ‘Haunting The Ghost’ the emotion that has built throughout the record rises to a fever pitch, there is no worry of the album simply fading away at the end, there are some great moments in the last track, the group vocals really add to the track and will hopefully transition well in a live setting.
We Were Skeletons have exceeded the expectations with ‘Blame And Ageing’ and created, for me one of the absolute best records of this genre. It improves on their previous work, but still manages to feel fresh and exciting. It won’t be for everyone, but for fans of the band and genre it will certainly please.
4/5
‘Blame And Aging’ by We Were Skeletons is out on the 22nd October through Topshelf Records.
We Were Skeletons links: Facebook|Twitter|Bandcamp
Words by Ryan Clayton.
