I'm home today because of the dentist. See, I hate going to the dentist because dentistry is a lost art in this country. I say "lost art" as opposed to "obscure science" because that's part of the problem. Nobody grows up thinking "I wanna be a Dentist when I'm grown up". Instead, they want to go into cosmetic dentistry at best, usually, they're a failed doctor. So, while they supposedly have the technical skill to drill into your dentin, they lack any and all finesse, because if they had any real skill, they'd be in cosmetic dentistry. So, the dentist screwed up, and I had to go in for emergency oral surgery today to retrieve a small piece of metal they left in there, last time that had caused an infection, and abscess. Fun, huh? Still not the worst thing a "Dentist" has screwed up in my mouth.
Anyway, I bring up my tale of woe because it's entirely appropriate for the latest release from Pray for Teeth, a Pittsburgh band that you want to know.
First, let's talk about length- these are 4 songs, and it's LP length. So, yes, sit down, get comfortable, because each song is gonna last awhile.
They might get labelled "post" something or another because of that. I'm going to reject that out of hand- calling them "post metal" or "Post hardcore" implies that the music they make is dependant upon a working knowledge of something before. This has no precedent as far as I know. Yes, the screamed vocals, and minor keys might lead you towards doom, or sludge metal. Yes, the reverb drenched, and heavily delayed guitars might lead you towards goth, or spaghetti westerns, but the dynamics betray both of those directions, and the songwriting owes at least as much to shoegaze bands as it does to crust punk. If you had to put this into a box, I think it'd be a pretty lonely box-
"Cinematic Sludge Crust Shoegaze screamo".
Might I suggest a better approach is to actually listen to the music, and analyze it from there? As mentioned, yes, Screams- slightly more punk styled screaming than metal styled in that it's hoarse, and desperate as opposed to guttural and mannered. I like that. Yes, lots of time-based effects- reverb and delay. However, it's not to obscure, as in the case of shoegazers, nor to be "trippy" a la Sludge and Stoner bands- instead these echos add heft and drama- like Ennio Morricone, and Young Widows- and yes, this would be one of the very few bands that I can see as keeping up with Louisville ( Between Young Widows, Workers, Coliseum and Xerxes, Louisville will destroy your scene, musically). The instruments used are straight up hardcore, though- that sounds like a Les Paul, with a Duncan in the bridge, played through a Sovtek head ( Mig 50H, possibly)- and the reason I say that, is that years ago, I got very nearly the same tone using that very set up- I just didn't know what to do with it besides Crusty hardcore. You've got your signature Peavey pound bass, and a fairly minimal trap set for the drums. I'm not so good that I can hear the brand, but this is more "one of each" than the excesses of a metal drum set- where you can hear four different toms, about 6 splashes, and even the bass drums are tuned slightly different from each other. So, considering how downtuned this is, as well, I'd say more Crust than Straightedge, but hardcore punk rock, for sure. Plus, the guitar player can do those 128th note trills on the downstroke, and move the chord up and down the neck to make a melody- that's a Crust signature- but, like I say- with so much drama from the echos that it becomes a very different beast.
Earlier, I said you want to get to know this band- here's why- they get the kind of push that, say, Young Widows got, or the kind of recognition that Fucked Up got, and they will dominate. These are some very tightly composed songs, especially considering the lengths- of the four, the shortest is in the long end of the six minute mark. That tells me these guys absolutely know what they're doing. Nothing sounds like a jam, nothing is extraneous, or a blind alley- this all clearly flows from one musical idea to the next- so either they're my age, and have been playing together since middle school, or these guys are masters of their chosen form- I'm going with the latter. No mistakes- they know exactly what they want this to be, and are honed in, like a surgeon.
As my friends who play know, I play along when listening to music at home. It gets me into the mood, and gives me a way of interacting. I honestly couldn't find any real niches to stick my little licks into- this stuff is airtight, and built like a tank. Heavy, melancholy, tough, tight, and dramatic. Just great stuff. Really. How's that for a genre to put them in? Great stuff.
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