Review Summary: Trophy Scars is one of those bands that get way better with every single release. Its pretty crazy. Also, this EP is dank as shit.
Trophy Scars seem to get better with every release, and apparently they don't even skip a beat for EPs.
Darkness, Oh Hell is Trophy Scars' 4th EP, and consists of 6 songs fusing jazz, post-hardcore, blues, and the occasional Converge-like freakout courtesy of lead front-man and drug enthusiast Jerry Jones. Every song varies greatly, while maintaining a distinct Trophy Scars sound that listeners have come to expect.
Opener "Sauvez-Moi De L'enfer" sets a vibe similar to the beginning of the
Hospital Music EP with a slow and haunting start with some restrained piano playing and female singing, it segues into the next track "Nausea," which features some horns and other instruments that add well to the dynamic of the music when backed by the guitar, stand-up bass, drums, and those sweet, sweet vocals from Jones.
"Darkness" is catchy as all hell, and features some of the coolest guitar work yet in a TS song, and some of Jone's best vocal and lyrical work to date. "Trazodone" and "Time In Heaven, Forever In Hell" stand as the best two tracks here, the former being a narrative of Jones' pill addiction, with some cool jazz backing the song's spaced out vocals and themes. The latter is one of TS's saddest songs, but is also fascinating with its piano and post-rockish guitar intro. The song morphs into a culmination of all the best parts of Trophy Scars, ending the EP on a high note leaving the listener wanting more.
In between these two gems lies "Sad Stanley," Trophy Scars' longest recording yet, clocking in at 7:22. A seven minute TS song is cool enough in its own right, but the fact that the song is a beast of a track with building tension going through the song, climaxing numerous times with one of Jones' signature vocal freakouts. Like post rock with a pair of balls.
Anyone who listened to
Bad Luck knows what to expect here, as the EP is a natural progression of the band's sound. There is a lot more instrumental variety and experimentation here, resulting in a much more textured soundscape than their previous work. Jones still croons, growls, snarls and screams over all of th's what we've come to expect from Trophy Scars, they're just doing it a little differently and a whole lot better than ever before.
