We Were Skeletons
Blame And Aging


4.0
excellent

Review

by XingKing USER (13 Reviews)
October 23rd, 2012 | 43 replies


Release Date: 2012 | Tracklist

Review Summary: Old passages of time forgotten but yet remaining, this is more than the sum of it's influences.

2010 was a strong year for hardcore and emo with incredible records from acts such as Sed Non Satiata, Loma Prieta, the Saddest Landscape and many others. Hidden amongst all the great releases that year was the little known Pennsylvanian trio We Were Skeletons. They signed to Topshelf Records and quickly released their second full length, aptly titled We Were Skeletons . Receiving mild acclaim, the album featured guitar work reminiscent of Off Minor and 1994!, heavy bass work of equal proficiency that could easily double as another guitar and a solid backbone found in the drums. We Were Skeletons' Topshelf debut had quite a bit going for it. While it often times came off as derivative and highly imitative of screamo's past giants, it was brimming with potential and technical skill. Enter the band's third record to date, Blame & Aging.

While being lumped into the screamo category, We Were Skeletons often found themselves far less violent and more technical than most of their genre mates. Things are slightly different this time around. Blame & Aging is noticeably darker lyrically and musically, as evident by tracks such as the Buried Seat. Ruined/Wasted opens the album with a slow build up typical to the genre before hitting hard with Long Night . Though it is quite common to the genre, the instrumentation transitions between loud and soft dynamics effortlessly and King of Tricks is the exemplary track of this as well as being one of many highlights.The guitar work from Justin Pallas is less technical than usual We Were Skeletons affair but that is in no way a bad thing, as the instrumentation sounds far more refined this time around. Rather than having technical riffage all over the place, Pallas has opted to save the frantic fretwork to act as highlights to most songs and it works wonders.

Justin Pallas on bass and Matt Nisley on drums hold things down beautifully for the guitars. While Pallas provides a nice low end, a vast portion of his bass lines are more than just rhythmic and are quite spectacular and match the guitar work in terms of technicality. The Buried Seat and Slow Death are perfect examples of Pallas' skill. Drummer Matt Nisley compliments the low end bass work nicely and switches between the heavier and softer sections with ease. Unfortunately, he is often overshadowed by the exquisite guitar and bass work. You can however find some nice fill work in the second half of Appear, Disappear and the album does contain several instrumentals that allow you to focus more on the drum work due to the lack of vocals.

Blame & Aging features stronger dual vocals from guitarist Justin Pallas and bassist Rafael Diaz than ever before. The two switch back and forth effortlessly and the vocals are far more pain filled and aggressive than anything the band has released thus far. Look at heavy hitting album closer Haunting the Ghost for what will surely be a staple at live shows to get the crowd screaming along. Lyrically, We Were Skeletons has always had a very poetic approach but unlike most screamo bands, the lyrics are intelligent and decipherable. Disease Artist offers up "Death’s sweating black-cloud raindrops down on me." and touches on self-loathing, a common topic. Lyrical highlight End of Suffering opens strongly with "A walk through my head brings all sorts of memories. The lies that I tell myself so I maintain a sense of identity in spite of its irrationality. A cell is born in time and splits in two. My mind wanders and wraps in on itself."

Featuring 13 songs, Blame & Aging clocks in at a monstrous 43 minutes. For a screamo or hardcore album, that is undeniably long and could induce fear about how coherent of a listen it could be. Fortunately for We Were Skeletons, every track has a highlight moment and they have found a way to construct an album without any noticeable dull points aside from the unnecessary Ruiner/Wasted . Placed strategically throughout the album to break up the pace are three instrumentals. The strongest of these three would be the title track, Blame & Aging . Containing simple but haunting riffs, the song slowly builds over it's near 4 minute time span and expresses all of the emotions of the album in one fell swoop. A slow but rewarding song that is the true highlight of the album.

With a clear command over dynamics and emotions, We Were Skeletons have released their strongest record yet and have proven that they are more than just a copycat band. What will surely be considered one of the years best screamo releases, existing genre fans will be thrilled by how fresh this album feels and how well it will fit in with old favorites. Whether or not you are a fan of screamo or hardcore, you owe it to yourself to give this album a listen for the sheer brilliance and emotion displayed by the instruments.



Recent reviews by this author
Mutoid Man Helium Head1994! FCKYRHED
Name Internet Killed The Audio StarFor Want Of Smoke
William Bonney Good VibesThe Bulletproof Tiger You Wanna Kiss About it?
user ratings (63)
3.6
great
other reviews of this album
welljesuschrist (4)
Raw, impassioned and superbly executed....



Comments:Add a Comment 
XingKing
October 23rd 2012


16199 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Album is streaming here: http://wewereskeletons.bandcamp.com/



Favorite tracks,

King of Tricks: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njxTeybjI1k

Blame & Aging: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLerz9H5NKU

Haunting the Ghost: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1sUoDt2J74



(To the mods: Sorry about being a pain in the ass!)

Deviant.
Staff Reviewer
October 23rd 2012


32288 Comments


If I could make a suggestion: ditch the bolding, it just sticks out and visually is a bit of an eyesore

XingKing
October 23rd 2012


16199 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

I prefer reviews with song titles bolded so that I can pick them out quickly when skimming to see the gist of things. I copied it from some other reviews I saw ages ago. Suggestion is noted for future reviews.

XingKing
October 23rd 2012


16199 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

If at first you don't succeed, somethingsomethingiwentfuckingretardedsomething..

KILL
October 23rd 2012


81580 Comments


bold is gay yea

auberginedreams
October 23rd 2012


6632 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

great album.

Brostep
Emeritus
October 23rd 2012


4491 Comments


I have to agree with Dev on this one, the bolding just doesn't work for me. Personally I use quotation marks (like "Song Title") and I think that's the generally accepted way around things now, but otherwise good review, have a pos.

auberginedreams
October 23rd 2012


6632 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

i like the bolding, it makes it easy if you're looking for his opinion on a specific song.

HighandDriving
October 23rd 2012


3288 Comments


I rememba listening to this band before you all cause I was told they were Hot Crossy, but all they are is shity.

XingKing
October 23rd 2012


16199 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

I would suggest checking this out. It's quite different from their self titled.

Ecnalzen
October 23rd 2012


12167 Comments


I like the musical style, but I'm not too keen on the vocal delivery. Good stuff. Your reviews always have really good flow, Xing.

The bold is kind of an eyesore, but it does make it easier to find the songs he specifically points out.

Atari
Staff Reviewer
October 23rd 2012


28009 Comments


Good review pos

taxidermist
October 23rd 2012


7267 Comments


Streaming now.

eternium
October 23rd 2012


16358 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

I'm paying more attention to the guitars than anything else.

XingKing
October 24th 2012


16199 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

If you like the guitar work, you will definitely appreciate their prior release more. It's far more noodley and the bass follows suit.

FigNewtns
October 29th 2012


777 Comments


don't know why sputnik has a cow whenever someone uses bold lettering. i need to get this, haven't listened to these guys since the s/t

welljesuschrist
October 30th 2012


64 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Pos'd!

Thane
November 1st 2012


2291 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

rules so far. i want the vinyl.

XingKing
November 2nd 2012


16199 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

You should get the vinyl. I paid $8 for this when I could have paid $4 more and gotten the vinyl. I feel like an idiot.

Thane
November 2nd 2012


2291 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

yeah i'm gonna wait until the black/red one is back in stock. look at that beauty:



http://sphotos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/480416_10151691139262224_977439285_n.jpg



You have to be logged in to post a comment. Login | Create a Profile





STAFF & CONTRIBUTORS // CONTACT US

Bands: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z


Site Copyright 2005-2023 Sputnikmusic.com
All Album Reviews Displayed With Permission of Authors | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy