Review Summary: Nerdy hardcore for hardcore nerds
In a lot of ways, Scholastic Deth were the perfect punk band: they were passionate, unpretentious, pushed boundaries and generally didn’t give a *** about how people perceived them. They also didn’t stick around for any longer than they needed to, which is a common trait among many classic punk bands. Just zipped in, made an impact, and quickly dissolved without a trace.
But what really makes them stick out in the vast sea of dissonant energy I call the modern hardcore scene is their general “vibe”: they’re ***in’ nerds, but they’ll kick your ass. They wrote songs about reading books, the banality of eBay, how they think metal rules, being in school, Cheetos, all kinds of geeky crap like that. But it was always done with a bitingly tongue-in-cheek punk edge, with no punches held back.
Musically, they’re also one of the most unique hardcore bands I’ve ever heard. Blending the youthful grace and style prominent in 80’s punk classics like Minor Threat with the modern ferocity of powerviolence and thrashcore (super short songs, big breakdowns, feedback up the wazoo and a major emphasis on speed). Their build ups intense, and the crashes are even more devastating. Especially with the charismatic screams, yelps and sarcastic shouts from their frontman. And their music is surprisingly catchy, believe it or not.
All in all, an essential band for anyone who likes their music loud, fast, passionate and aggressive. No bull*** here, just pure nerdy energy. The three EP’s released over their career (Revenge of the Nerds, Killed By School and Shackle Me Not) all appear on this compilation, and are among the best punk EP’s I’ve heard, personally. However, I wouldn’t recommend listening to them all at once; the best way to experience SD’s intensity is by spinning the EP’s individually in order of release, otherwise one may get overwhelmed. They only released about a half hour of raw material and it’s all essential punk goodness.
NO HOLDING BACK NERD ATTACK!!!
