Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 11/14/2006
Having an interesting name can grab one's attention, but actually keeping it is another matter. No one can accuse
I Killed the Prom Queen of not having a memorable name, but what about their music?
Music for the Recently Deceased is a generally decent example of the
screamo style, which has also been called post-hardcore or melodic
hardcore. Whatever one calls the style, its basic ingredients are the same: extreme vocals contrasted with clean vocals, brutal
metalcore-influenced assault contrasted with melodic sensibilities -- and to say that there has been a glut of
screamo bands in the 21st century would be an understatement.
Screamo is an extremely crowded field -- crowded as a London Tube train leaving the Piccadilly Circus station in the middle of rush hour on a Friday afternoon, to make a
Dan Rather-ish comparison -- and faceless, soundalike
screamo bands are not hard to find. But
Music for the Recently Deceased, although not exceptional, is a cut above much of the competition -- which is something that lead singer
Edward Butcher can take some of the credit for.
Butcher often provides a tortured, agonized, metalcore-style scream (guitarist
Jona Weinhofen provides the clean vocals), but
Butcher's extreme vocals can easily detour into a deep, guttural
death metal-ish growl or a wicked black metal-ish rasp. There is no question that this Australian outfit is a
screamo/melodic
hardcore/post-
hardcore band first and foremost, but they are a
screamo/melodic
hardcore/post-
hardcore band with an obvious awareness of
death metal and
black metal. That doesn't make
I Killed the Prom Queen unique -- there are, to be sure, other
screamo bands with
death metal and
black metal influences -- but at least these Aussies don't adhere to the
screamo rulebook quite as rigidly as the more generic
screamo units. Although somewhat uneven,
Music for the Recently Deceased has more ups than downs and is a cut above many of 2006's
screamo releases, and never let it be said that
I Killed the Prom Queen isn't a cool name for a band.
~Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
Cart 0 items
Listen
