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Weak Teeth

What A Plague You Are

Written by: PP on 08/05/2012 21:21:28

Much like My Fictions whose debut EP I reviewed just before this one, Weak Teeth maintain links to 'the wave' scene of bands like Touché Amoré, Defeater, The Saddest Landscape etc through an honest and raw, intensely emotional expression on their 24 minute debut album "What A Plague You Are", whose songs rarely surpass the 1 minute and 20 second mark (with the exception of the nine minute album closer). That makes for one hell of an intense listening session where urgency is the first word that comes to mind, as the band's short, to-the-point bursts of melodically tinged hardcore take you down the memory lane for the 90s emo/screamo/skramz bands while adding in modern relevancy through the coarse, throaty screams and melodically ringing guitars.

Yes, distortion and raw feeling are aplenty on this record, which sways evenly between original screamo (skramz as some people call it), 'the wave' style post-hardcore, and melodic hardcore with focus on emotionally charged vocals delivered through entirely decipherable, yet harsh and aggressive vocals. Aside from the vocals, credit must be given to the band's guitarists who nail down the heavy-but-melodic stance perfectly, giving many more generically oriented hardcore bands something to think about. Better yet, the band are even able to create impressive build ups, such as the one on the unfortunately titled "Get A Life, Read A Book, Eat A Dick" (the songs aren't juvenile like that at all), where the song climaxes in a breakdown with gang shouted vocals while still hovering in 'the wave' territory. It's an epic moment, and one that's repeated during the fantastic "Arson Daily", whose scream of "WE...ARE...ANIMALS!!" should give goosebumps to the listener as the song launches into a full-blast, pedal-to-the-floor melodic hardcore onslaught straight after.

In the end I have to admit that even though the 11 tracks of "What A Plague You Are" run by incredibly fast given their short length, I'm left impressed over the nature of its emotional intensity and urgency in a studio environment. This, experienced live, is what makes for 9/10 or better shows.

Download: Arson Daily, It's Nice To Talk To Someone With The Same Void, No One Is That 'Going To Hell' More Than Us,
For the fans of: Defeater, Touché Amoré, Kaospilot,
Listen: Bandcamp

Release date 22.10.2011
Flannel Gurl Records