Review Summary: A little piece of screamo history
On an old LimeWire folder somewhere hides a treasure trove of emo from the likes of Early To Bed, Alesana and a relatively obscure band called Beneath These Words. With an open hand became my alarm anthem, the straight-laced ten-second chug was a perfect fit to a dreary morning. Later it became a song to work out to, a partner in the winter nights. Something always lurked in the back of my mind though. An unknown figure led the Florida band to my hard drive, a 3-minute jam that underpinned my formative years. The 7th Story View eluded me, for an out of print demo the likelihood of ever hearing their work seemed unlikely.
12 years later I found the e.p.
If you are versed in 00's emo, (the recommendation section will give you an idea) this will be to your taste. The faux-passion interlaced with serviceable screams brings to mind a foggy time where checkered studded belts were considered the "in" thing. Stainless brings this sentiment further to the surface by an unfortunate soliloquy; that A 7th Story View tells the tale of a band appearing at the right time only to crumble shortly after bringing their voice to record.
Although, there is nothing wrong with giving up. The fear that resides in being forgotten is often a crutch towards losing a part of oneself in a bid to stay visible. I'm unsure whether the past decade influenced my continued strive to hear more from this genre. With wavering uncertainty, I feel I owe some debt towards this band, although we were oceans apart they made an indiscernible impact.
Surprisingly, the record still feels fresh. For all the cliche underpinnings it's hard to fault the sincerity established within the brief 20-minute runtime. When I listen to Beneath These Words, I feel the same joy of exploration that led me down the legally-questionable path to their discovery.
