Review Summary: Glassjaw creates one of the most obscure, yet essential post-hardcore albums of all time.
Glassjaw is every emotion out there all crammed into one. Well on this album, more like every shade of anger. When I first listened to them I was initially turned off by all the raw anger and passion put into this record. Each engulfing scream is a lot to swallow, and that's the record's intention. This is not an angry album in the sense of bitter emo lyrics, Brand New's Your Favorite Weapon, I'm looking at you. People who go into this album thinking that will find themselves quickly fumbling for the eject button 10 seconds into "Siberian Kiss." EYEWTKAS is one of the most intense albums my ears have ever been graced with. Daryl Palumbo's voice and scream are two extremely original pieces of the puzzle as well. In fact, it's almost safe to say that he steals the entire show, and that's a huge compliment considering some of the ridiculous breakdowns and tempo shifts on this potentially messy disc.
Things begin quickly with "Pretty Lush". An odd opening track at first, considering how a short riff is played and Palumbo's vocals make an early entrance a few seconds in. This is honestly one of my favorite GJ songs with that having been said though. The alternating pattern of chug riffs and Daryl's aggressive vocals intertwined with soft melodic moments makes this an early highlight. "Siberian Kiss" follows quickly with a dooms day like riff to open the song, and Daryl's arguably most brutal moment on the album. The song carries on in extremely heavy fashion before it almost unfolds upon itself, and becomes a delicious melodic song. It transitions back and forth between brutally heavy and wonderful melodies, all the while painting the picture of a cheating whore.
The next song is where I can begin to see some Deftones comparisons become slightly valid. The intro for whatever reason of "When One Eight Becomes Two Zeros" just sounds like something that would fit cozily onto "Around The Fur". It's a mostly mid tempo song, which is a nice break from the breakneck transitions of the first two tracks. This rounds out an amazing trio to open the album. "Ry Ry's Song" follows, and is just about the most out of place song on the album. I don't mean that in a bad way by any means either. If you were a fan who started with their following release, "Worship & Tribute", this is about the only track that fully sounds like it could be on that album. Definitely has more of a pop punk swagger to it, but through the somewhat positive sounding song, the lyrics manage to stay bleak with the repetition of the chorus: "The way you play with lives/is such a big disguise/we swear that/we're not gonna' take it no more./The way you ***ed his life/is such a big disguise/we swear/we're not running naked." Most of Daryl's lyrics actually revolve around deceitful women, or more accurately his ex-girlfriend who ended their relationship right before this album, and it shows.
Speaking of bitter lyrics, the next song "Lovebites & Razorlines" probably takes the cake for the most brutal words penned for this album. I could very easily see him writing these lyrics immediately proceeding the breakup, with the opening lines reading, "Who you f****** now?/I use my slit wrist/to sign my name with blood/and when you can't compete with the Joneses/gun 'em all down(even the father)./You f****** whore." The song itself fits the lyrics extremely well, with the verses becoming so sloppily heavy that they cave in upon themselves much like "Siberian Kiss" into a surprisingly melodic chorus. One brutal tune to the next it unfortunately goes for those who came for ballads. "Hurting & Shoving (She Should Have Let Me Sleep)" is just about the heaviest song on the album. It follows a heavy with a squealing distorted guitar playing over a chug-a-chug riff, with Daryl's tortured scream painting very audible words overall all the chaos. Stay tuned for the oddly constructed bridge, with group vocals all coming together, with Danny Carey-esque drums sinking you into everything.
"Majour" opens up with very similar chords to that of the Used's "Bullimic", with Palumbo's non threatening vocals softly whispering above it. The similarities quickly end hear, as the rest of the band comes crashing in with convincing authority. The verses are sung in an odd key, making this song definitely stand out. Also the outro is one of my favorite moments on the whole disc when Daryl keeps repeating lines over a progressive riff until the percussion dissolves. "Her Middle Name Was Boom" is a very bass driven track with a passionately sung chorus. It's remains one of the more user friendly tracks on the album, often reminiscent of their later work until the wild outro comes crashing through at about the 3:00 mark. Great stuff.
The albums flow has become impeccable at this point I might add, as all of the tracks as a cohesive unit begin to make sense. "Piano" is no exception to this as it has more of an epic feel to it. The song explodes from the beginning, with very bass driven verses again. I am not exactly sure what the lyrics particularly mean as Daryl sings of being a rock star and beating his girlfriend when he's drunk within the same line, but it all works. The chorus is stunning, with a priceless bridge where Daryl and the bass interplay, and the song builds from this point. "Babe" is basically 1:43 of pure ridiculous mayhem. It sees Daryl screaming his brains out over constant shifts in motion, and breakdowns left and right. Pop this on if you just want to jump around the room or simply smash your bed to pieces.
The title tracks follows "Babe" and is the other contender for my favorite song on the album with "Piano". Just about the most depressing song on the album. The bass and riff in the verses are very mournful, and Daryl's vocals sound beaten and tortured, definitely evoking the depressive imagery of the lyrics beautifully. The song finally explodes in the end after threatening several times, and is simply ingenious.
The previous song is a tough act to follow, but "Motel Of The White Locust" serves this duty with honor. Another extremely heavy track, but definitely has more of a flow than "Babe" and is downright brutally awesome. After this song pummels you with some of the angriest lyrics on the album (yes, he's still pissed by the album closer), everything halts and someone's (Daryl's?) voice repeats the line "Pack your *** and leave, and take my memories out the door with you", before a hazy silence takes over. This lasts for a few minutes, before the gorgeous hidden track comes in that is just Daryl and a piano, and it is an extremely heavy song that I wish Glassjaw had utilized more.
Apologies if the track by track became monotonous, but it was the only way I deemed fit. Such an amazing album and still stands as one of my favorites. Definitely not for everyone, and you probably shouldn't listen to this is you are depressed cause it will only push you further the wrong way. All having been said, an essential post-hardcore album, and a must have for any avid fan of rock music in general.
