Review Summary: Post-rock tinged screamo that doesn't suck.
andtheywillriot! is a quite obscure British five-piece screamo band. However, their obscurity is unwarranted, as their 2006 debut proves. The album starts off with Latin-influenced opener “Latin Speak.” One thing you’ll notice while traveling across this soundscape is the vocals. You can’t understand a word that’s being screamed due to the high register of the vocalist's scream. However, while the vocals are entirely indecipherable, they fit the instrumentation perfectly. And oh, the instrumentation! It is absolutely fantastic. As the album progresses, andtheywillriot! seamlessly shifts from a relentless auricular assault to slower interludes that are barely held back. During every second of the slower post-rock interludes, the band strains to hold back the excitement. And when they explode, you can feel the release of the tension, as the Jacob-Bannon-esque vocals and spastic grinding guitars wash over you.
Another thing you may notice while listening is the omnipresent influence of grindcore on the guitars and drums. The drums are almost entirely grind-based, providing aggressive fills and prominent use of the ride cymbal. The guitars are somewhat grindy, as seen in the use of dissonant riffs in almost every song. This Is Autumn is a perfect example of this dissonance.
One of the main detractors is the lack of bass in most of the album due to production. Where the bass is audible, it sounds thin. The only other negative is that the screaming vocals are indecipherable. When the vocalist is singing clean, he has a slight waver, but fits the band’s sound very well. Also, he pulls off some incredible harsh passages, including a few long sustained screams.
Clocking in at 26 minutes and 28 seconds, this surpasses many punk records in length, yet manages to stay fresh throughout the entire album. andtheywillriot! doesn’t reuse riffs, or repeat ad nauseum. Also, the band is not shy about trying new things, as influenced by the slight Latin leanings of the aptly titled Latin Speak, or the piano they bring in for some of the songs. However, unlike other skramz bands who throw in unnecessary instruments (we’re all looking at you,
I Would Set Myself On Fire For You), andtheywillriot! is the clear better, as the piano playing complements the guitars.
Kick Up The Leaves, This Is Autumn is a spectacular debut, and a good album for anyone interested in post-rock tinged skramz.
