A Wilhelm Scream - Partycrasher

Partycrasher is the greatest thing since _______?

Six years is a long time between drinks, but if there was ever a band whose next drink was going to knock you out in a swirling fury of whiskey and melodic hardcore, it's A Wilhelm Scream. Partycrasher, all pummelling guitars, soaring melodies and machine gun percussions, is what you've come to expect and know of the band; but distilled in six years worth of pent up material.

From the opening salvo of “Boat Builders”, it is clear that the band haven't lost a step. Few contemporaries mix technical ability with attitude as well as they do. And without breaching the boundaries of pretension, songs like “The Last Laugh” shred and showcase musical chops in equal parts (also see the opening to “Ice Man Left A Trail”). AWS are still damn good at blending that razor fast transition between uptempo verses and even faster choruses, and songs like “Devil Don't Know” continue that trademark AWS songwriting canon.

“Gut Sick Companion” floors it with the high-flying solos while “Hairy Scarecrow” takes a turn down the more traditional melodic hardcore route. The latter has got elements of everything from 88 Fingers Louie to early Ten Foot Pole and the brash, snotty attitude of RKL.

What's bad about this album? If you had to pick something, probably that it took six damn years to do.

On the even further upside; one can run through the gamut of journalistic cliches to describe this album. Any of the following would work:

- The greatest thing since someone decked Glen Danzig
- The greatest album ever by a band that was once called Smackin' Isaiah
- The best thing to listen to after going to The Fest
- Album Of The Year

A Wilhelm Scream still wipe their ass with this musicbiz thing. Partycrasher is brand new album, same great band.

(No Idea Records)