Review Summary: A post-hardcore masterpiece from a Long Island, NY based band.
Glassjaw - "Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Silence"
* Daryl Palumbo - Vocals
* Justin Beck - Guitar
* Manuel Carrero - Bass
* Todd Weinstock - Guitar
* Sammy Siegler - Drums
Roadrunner Records - 2000
A true milestone in the post-hardcore genre, incorporating other elements such as experimental, screamo, and melodic hardcore as well. This album really changed my life in a way I will not get into, take my word for it though, this one is a classic.
I recommend this album to anyone who feels the bitterness and resentment of a failed relationship (as it seems this is the lyrical content of 3/4 of the album). EYEWTKAS touches on themes such as disgust, anger, sadness, pain, and just an overall dark feeling. I was blown away when I first heard this record, I didn't even think music like this existed, it just seems most of the album is Daryl Palumbo having a temper tantrum with exploding guitar riffs, chugging bass and powerful drumming behind it, but it is all so beautiful at the same time. Although Daryl's guttural screaming dominates the albums vocals, there are also some spacious songs that include clean vocals and beautiful choruses.
Track by track
1. Pretty Lush - Opens with an angry sounding guitar riff and Daryl singing cleanly but you can still hear the anger and disgust in his voice. He then goes into screaming and back to singing cleanly for most of the song. The song is overall done extremely well. Around 2:09 starts the beginning of what I consider one of my favorite moments of the album. It starts with that angry sounding guitar riff from the opening, trading off with a chugging riff and Daryl seems like he's just talking/yelling in pure disgust. Then out of nowhere BOOM! All 4 instruments come together to create a wall of sound that will detonate your speakers accompanied with Daryl's screaming. A perfect start to a perfect album. - 10/10
2. Siberian Kiss - One of the band's most popular songs. Starts off with pure mayhem as Daryl showcases possibly the most brutal vocal performance on the album, screaming into what seems to be a complete spazz attack. This continues for the first minute until the band decides to showoff how great they can be at creating a beautiful chorus with clean vocals and just a catchy melody. The rest of the song trades off between the chorus and the beginning verse and is just done again perfectly. The song also showcases some of the best guitar playing on the album. 10/10
3. When One Eight Becomes Two Zeros. - Starts off with a nice bass line that leads into a nice intro of Daryl singing melodically (but painfully) with the guitars giving a mellow, almost atmospheric feel to the song. The song is very melodic compared to the first two tracks with Daryl singing cleanly nearly the whole song, but the pain and hurt is still there. The lyrics are seemingly about a breakup (like most of the album). A great bass driven song that just adds more flavor to the album. 9/10
4. Ry Ry's Song - A very different song for the album, this one also sticks out the most in my opinion as it is the closer to pop punk then anything else on the album. Daryl is again singing cleanly on this song and it sounds catchy as hell. While the lyrics are still dark, the song has a bouncy and almost optimistic feeling to it. Its very fast and like I mentioned shows a pop punk-ish sound, nevertheless, another amazing song. 9.5/10
5. Lovebites and Razorlines - After the melodic "When One Eight Becomes Two Zeros" and the catchy, bouncy "Ry Ry's Song", the band throws the most "evil" song yet. I say evil because I have never heard anything like this before, I've listen to plenty of death metal, deathcore and black metal in my time but none of it holds a candle to the lyrical content of this song. It opens with Daryl screaming his friggen head off "Who you f***ing now?!" and other crude lines such as "Suck on the end of this dick that cums lead" in such a way that it makes those death metal bands just seem cartoonish. After the first verse the song slows down with Daryl singing cleanly about (I'm guessing) the same chick who the first verse was about. Then the chorus comes in and it is extremely beautiful and melodic, it doesn't even sound like the same song anymore, so catchy. But then the band returns to form with Daryl having a complete temper tantrum while just screaming "Who you f***ing?". The rest of the song basically trades off between the verse and the chorus. Overall this song is just pure insanity though, I had take a breather after this one. 10/10
6. Hurting and Shoving (She Should Have Let Me Sleep) - They waste no time pummeling you and your speakers with the heaviest song yet. But in my opinion it is also the weakest off the album. It just sounds a little too sloppy and there is really nothing that stands out about it. Still a great song but not up to par with the rest of this masterpiece. 7/10
7. Majour - The next three songs are where I see the album giving us a much needed breather. Majour is a track on the mellower side, the verse is driven by a background bass but the chorus is extremely catchy. The lyrics seem to once again be about a failed relationship or ex. An excellent song, not much to say about it other then that though, you really have to just listen to it see how great it is. A definite standout track. 10/10
8. Her Middle Name Was Boom - Another mellow track, that picks up at the end. Beginning with a beautiful bass intro and light drumming. Daryl starts off with singing "She cured the plague of the holy child" and it gives me chills every time. When the chorus comes in you will be amazed, so catchy and original (even though I find it somewhat similar to "Majour's chorus). After a couple trade offs between the verse and chorus the song slightly picks up with Daryl screaming and some interesting guitar effects in the background. It's still one of the albums slower tracks even with the ending being a bit heavy and it is one of the best off the album. 10/10
9. Piano - Begins with a quiet guitar verse before a chaotic scream by Daryl. This song is structured similar to the previous two songs, trading off between the verse and extremely catchy chorus. However I find "Piano's" chrous to be the catchiest and best, sadly, I think it also has a weaker verse then the other two. The song ends with another screaming outro. This song lyrically seems to be based around being in a band rather then failed relationship content on most of the album. 9.5/10
10. Babe - The breather is over! Back to insanity! This song is probably the fastest off the album and has a hardcore punk feel to it. Daryl screams the opening lines of "I exclude light!, and wash my hands of you!", god there is just so much hatred to this album, but I love it. This is the shortest songs off the album clocking in at 1:43 but its one of my favorites. The song is not structured that well but I find much more enjoyable then "Hurting and Shoving". Around 1:15 Daryl gives what I think is his must guttural scream off the album, screaming "Followed by a guilty stifle doowwwnnn!!". Not really a fan favorite but a favorite of mine. 10/10
11. Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Silence - The epic title track. Begins with bass and drums sounding a little similar to "Her Middle Name Was Boom". This song is very dark in a different way then the others, it sounds just so depressing. The verse is done extremely well with a creepy feel to it. Then Daryl goes into screaming with him talking over it, I'm not sure what he's saying but I'd like to know! Then it goes back to the verse and from there we go back to the screaming followed directly by the chorus which is a huge standout on the album. Singing about his battle with Crohns diease (an extremly painful inflammatory disease of the intestines that has no cure) and his days in the hospital as a kid with it. After the first chorus, a short verse leads into a chaotic breakdown which also stood out to me on the album. It then goes back to the chorus and then Daryl gives his most painful screaming outro yet "This is what it's like to be alone!" the song then fades. A pure genius combination of heaviness and melody, almost a collaboration of all the previous tracks on the album. Epic. 10/10
12. Motel of the White Locust - Between the length and the outro, I really thought that the title track "Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Silence" was the end of the album. But I was wrong, as the album ends on an extremely sinister note. Motel of the Locust brings the crude lyrics found on Lovebites and Razorlines to a new level. Although the lyrics here are a bit more abstract then many of the previous songs you can still understand the message of the song. Opens with the all the instruments pounding and Daryl saying "Welcome to Hollywood girl" (maybe symbolizing an ex who was a good enough liar and so fake that she should have been an actress in Hollywood???) Then Daryl screams "My dance has paaassssssed" at the top of his lungs. The song is quite bass driven with Daryl singing/yelling angrier then ever, with lines of disgust such as "Who the f*** could ever take the place of me"? Then at around 1:50 the band gives their finale, a brutal guttural scream by Daryl really sets up the ending of the song which you know is gonna be intense. Then with a wall of chaoitc instruments pounding your speakers, Daryl screams "Get up off your knees, and make me your guy" "Who could ever? Who the f*** could ever? It's sexual debauchery you f***ing c***! You f***ing whore, you cost what your worth!!" At this point I have chills and my heart is pounding. The last breakdown is just the epitome of the feeling you have when a relationship goes horribly wrong and it is portrayed by the band perfectly. The outro is Daryl calmly speaking "Pack your *** and leave and take my memories of her with you" about 9 times before saying "Pack your *** and leave and take her f***ing with you" Daryl's mature way of saying goodbye to the woman who has seemingly ruined his life. 10/10
**Hidden Poem** - There is a hidden poem found about 3-4 minutes after the actual song but I'm not gonna review it, not much to say about it.
So this is Glassjaw's debut album "Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Silence" in a nutshell. I consider this album to be a masterpiece and the most influential album of new millennium post-hardcore scene. Recommended to anyone who are fans of post-hardcore, screamo or melodic hardcore.
Final Rating - 5/5
