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Album Ratings 443
Objectivity 62%
Last Active 11-03-23 8:26 pm
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| 1997: The State of Screamo - Abridged Edition
I've returned with another new year of Scremo history! First entry is a Screamo Hall of Fame Inductee, 2-6 are HoF Nominees, 7-10 are Connective Tissue (splits) and 11-13 are Holy Grails (comps). 14-18 are additional releases. If you want to see these when they come out daily, follow on Reddit, FB or IG! | | 1 |  | Saetia
Saetia
You come to understand the power of Saetia’s music within seconds of the intro track’s simple but harrowing intro, oscillating between complete silence and brash, distorted guitar. Entering next is Billy Werner’s iconic high-pitched screeches juxtaposed with frustrated, rapid-fire spoken word verses. As the songs progress, a profound sense of dynamic songwriting can be heard through the serene quiets and the frantic louds on this record. Saetia was definitely inspired by the style of Midwest Emo with intensity changes and twinkly guitar parts, more than the form.
This record isn’t just an establishment of Screamo tropes, though. It is a vibrant, seemingly-alive work of art that reflects the anguish of the band members. Despite each track going through its own arc, the entire EP seemingly builds up to an explosive crescendo in their final track. This is aided by the subtle Post-Rock influence that, while not as pronounced as in bands like Portraits of Past... | | 2 |  | Anomie
Mrta Benefit
Anomie’s sole LP features driving Screamo music, tons of melodic interplay, chugging riffs and an emotional blend of yelling and screaming from the masculine / feminine dual vocals. Seriously, the energy never seems to die down on this one; even when they lower the intensity, the songs tend to keep a brisk and spirited pace. The vocals of Kathleen are particularly harrowing and emotionally resonant and represent an early example of women tearing it up in Hardcore and Screamo. The band experimented by adding elements of Metalcore, acoustic guitars and even whipping up a weird but surprisingly well-fitting electronic interlude.
Simply put, this album is premier 90s French Screamo. To this point, France was a stronghold for the burgeoning genre, and, although this region's peak was still many years away, there was a prolific output from a variety of bands. Among those releases is Anomie's s/t album, which married energetic Hardcore with gorgeous melody in a way no one in Europe... | | 3 |  | Closure
Closure
Closure's self-titled album represents the best tropes of late 90s Screamo, showcasing a dynamic mix of chilling, atmospheric instrumental sections of quiet melody, masterfully-crafted tense buildups and powerful, cathartic crescendos. Trevor’s gnarly screams add emotional depth to the songs, imparting unto the listener every ounce of pain that he’s internalized.
Although quite obscure in the grand scheme of Screamo Canon, Closure’s one and only LP stands the test of time as an early example of Post-Rock creeping its way into Screamo music, in a similar vein to Portraits of Past and Breakwater (with whom they performed on a split with). Though this album predates some of the later classics with Post-Rock leanings, its niche popularity means not enough people were influenced by this incredible album to earn its place in the Hall.
Closure keeps the lyrics simple to ensure the potent messages are digestible by all, despite the incomprehensibility of the vocalist at times. Utilizing... | | 4 |  | In/Humanity
The History Behind The Mystery...
In/Humanity once again innovatively iterate on the Emoviolence formula, doubling down on the musical chaos, freneticism and experimentation. The album begins with longer-than-average songs for this band, some of which are over three minutes in length. They showcase the dichotomous quiet-loud dynamics In/Humanity helped establish in years prior but with a certain atmosphere and formlessness not found anywhere else in their discography. Almost half of the album is part of a 15-minute song slapped right in the middle, muddying the shapeliness of this album with the band more-or-less fooling around.
With their second and final LP, In/Humanity firmly establishes themselves as one of the most prolific early Emoviolence outfits out there. Each LP and EP shapes the blooming genre in its own way. The History Behind the Mystery approaches the genre with an experimental eye, using abstract song structures, atmosphere and even more carelessness than ever before. Although this was an important... | | 5 |  | Petit Printemps
Demo
Ordinarily, when I describe early Screamo as Lofi, I mean Screamo recorded and produced at basement or completely DIY level, but otherwise sounds like your typical Screamo fare. This is usually out of necessity to reduce costs, and it might be in this case as well, but bands didn't actually utilize these limitations as conscious songwriting tools until Petit Printemps. The band uses lots of twinkles, subdued drumming and spoken word to establish a soft baseline from which to dial up the intensity. Because of this, these dynamics are highlighted by the hazy production rather than snuffed out.
Although this record wouldn't go on to define Lofi Screamo or directly influence that scene, but it is very impressive to have executed the idea more than two decades before it would become a common practice. Breaking this demo down reveals how connected they were to the French Screamo sound of this time - raw, melodic and dynamic. However, in the tapestry of Screamo Canon, this is more of a... | | 6 |  | You and I
Saturday's Cab Ride Home
Metalcore was a tremendous influence for this band on this record, featuring some genuinely powerful guitarwork filled with melody and technicality. Accentuating the twisted and chaotic screaming is a cheesy, somewhat off key clean vocal performance. Rarely does the band sit still, even when transitioning to lower-intensity levels, largely due to the aforementioned active guitar and the tremendous drumming clinic.
You And I's debut LP marks an evolving genre that further injects brutality with melody and technicality, somewhat similarly to Saeita. Particularly, the guitar work on this record transcends earlier Screamo and previews the intensity and technicality that the genre would be known for. Perhaps this is too much of a Metalcore album to deserve its place in the Screamo Hall of Fame but nonetheless deserves to be recognized for its quality and forward-thinkingness.
With a band name like You And I, it’s no wonder that the majority of their lyrics tend to veer into the... | | 7 |  | His Hero Is Gone/Union of Uranus
Split E.P.
After a couple of years as a band producing a demo and an EP, 1997 was a breakout year for Crust Punk legends His Hero Is Gone. Not only did they come out with this split, they released their two landmark LPs in the same year. This would be their hottest year as they’d be broken up before the end of the century. Their contributions on this split would be released under a solo EP called Fool’s Gold a year later. Meanwhile, Uranus was still establishing themselves by ‘97, having only released a demo and a split a few years prior. This would be their last release before their seminal Disaster by Design EP would come out in a year’s time.
Although His Hero Is Gone is not a Screamo band by any means, they did release this split with Crust-influenced Screamo band Uranus. The band exemplifies the tropes of the genre to a tee with metallic, down-tuned guitar riffs, pounding D-Beat style drums and a gnarly, gutteral screaming voice. Songs rarely last over one minute and keep a high... | | 8 |  | Enemy Soil/Reversal of Man
Enemy Soil/Reversal of Man
Prolific Grindcore stalwarts Enemy Soil were in the midst of a career-defining year in 1997. This release was one of four splits, one EP and one live EP to come out, almost doubling the previous five years of recorded material unleashed unto the world. However, they’d only be releasing music for a couple more years following this. Regardless, this was their first (and not only) sideswipe into the world of Screamo. Reversal of Man continued their relentless onslaught of releases, with this being their seventh in three years. Their very best work had yet to arrive, however.
Enemy Soil's half of the split begins with a ruckus; heavy, deep guitar tones introduce us to the ways of Grindcore while the drums drift into a series of blast beats. The singer carelessly throws his screams around for maximum brutality. Seriously, these songs are sort of insane. Reversal of Man keeps things relatively even-keeled, utilizing a slower Screamo sound often to contrast the bursts of Emoviolence... | | 9 |  | Stack/Carol
South of Hessen / Welcome to Bremen
Stack had sporadically released demos, EPs and splits from the mid-late 90s, with this being one of those splits. They would release their magnum opus in 2001, their first LP and final official record. meanwhile, Carol was a short-lived Screamo project that begat one solid EP in ‘95 and this split two years later. This would be their final release until a comp came out many, many years later.
Stack is a bona fide Powerviolence outfit with fast, short tracks, tempo shifts and frenzied drumming. Still, there is a carefree side to the band - after all, having an album title and cover referencing Slayer and including a cheesy Power Metal sample isn't very typical in striving brutality. By contrast, Carol's side is concentrated Screamo fury, beginning with a tense, slow intro before devolving into utter chaos. This is perhaps the darkest, craziest track from this band yet.
North and Central German Hardcore scenes merge in this wonderful split. These two obscure bands decided to come... | | 10 |  | Peu être / Carther Matha / Rachel
Split
With eight members between the three bands and more than their share of cross-pollination, these staples of the 90s French Screamo scene came together at very similar points in their lifespans. All three bands started off in the mid-90s with demos, with perhaps Peu être forming and releasing their material first in ‘94. This split would be the last major work from any of these bands, however; Peu être didn’t release any material after this until their brief reformation in 2011. For Carther Matha, this would be the last the world would hear from them. Rachel would continue as a band the longest, releasing their final EP in 2001.
Right off the bat, I need to address this: yes, these bands do sound fairly similar, but as I’ve previously mentioned, there are only eight interconnected members among these bands, all likely from the same region of Western France, so this tracks. As far as similarities go, they all have the “French Screamo” sound. What is that? It’s the marriage of... | | 11 |  | Angel Hair
Pregnant With The Senior Class
Angel Hair’s Noise-oriented mid-90s Screamo sound is reminiscent of early greats like Heroin and Mohinder, but even darker and more vile. Sonny Kay’s signature screams are diabolical and passionate, matching the dissonant, dark guitar riffs and the uneasy feedback. In typical Gravity Records fashion, the band is experimental and shows off quite a bit of personality. They aren’t quite as “out there” as Antioch Arrow, keeping themselves grounded in a punishing mid-tempo assault that occasionally pushes into spastic territory.
This discography compiled their random, fragmented releases together into a neat package with quite the legacy behind it. This might just be the earliest Screamo comp to secure a band’s legacy and their influential contributions to the genre - which by 1997 was still in its formative years. Supposedly, all of the content on here was recorded in the year 1994, showcasing how eclectic the Gravity Records scene was at the time. The band would break up at the onset... | | 12 |  | Heroin
Heroin
Legends of early 90s Proto-Screamo and one of the original bands to explore this sonic space, Heroin took the power and fury of Hardcore, illuminated it with the melody and dynamism of Emocore and added in their own Post-Hardcore fixings to craft a noisy and raw discography. The singer’s shouted screams inject the music with even more immediacy and emotion, the guitarist didorients with breakneck chord progressions and heaps of noisy dissonance; the bass packs with it a sense of danger and the drumming is frantic and chaotic, effectively putting the formula in a blender. These pieces came together to from the early blueprints of the genre.
Listening through this compilation album showcases the band's evolution over the two years they were active, tracking their increased use of melody, dissonance and intensity. In addition to pioneering this genre and shaking up the early 90s Hardcore scene, Heroin's direct influences reached so many early Screamo bands, especially to the... | | 13 |  | Swing Kids
Discography
Spastic, experimental and playful Screamo is all you're going to find on this record, documenting every song from the band thus far. Although you can still piece out the traditional Hardcore influence, dissonance, rhythmic unpredictability and general chaos are all elements these early pioneers utilized to keep listeners on their toes. The band can transition between a rapid-fire verse fueled by unhinged screaming and overwhelming drums to a sarcastic jazzy number played with great skill and technicality.
Justin Pearson is an important figure to underground music, especially in San Diego. He started Three One G Records, starred in Swing Kids as their vocalist and went on to form Sass and Hardcore legends The Locust. However, Swing Kids’ Discography is enough of a reason to celebrate; the mark this band left on San Diego, Hardcore music, Screamo. Sasscore and underground music as a whole cannot be ignored. Swing Kids achieved levels of pandemonium very few before them could have... | | 14 |  | Akephal
Akephal
Additional release | | 15 |  | Early Grace (FL)
And All I Run Into Are Walls You Have Built
Additional release | | 16 |  | Cattle Decapitation
Ten Torments of the Damned
Additional release | | 17 |  | Eurich
The Unified Field Theory
Additional release | | 18 |  | Encyclopedia of American Traitors
Encyclopedia of American Traitors
Additional release | |
EmoEmporium
03.25.25 | I'll see you all in a couple of weeks with 1998! | swallowtales
03.25.25 | Nutty year also, Early Grace don't get enough love | Hawks
03.26.25 | Cattle Decapitation on a screamo list. I am very intrigued. | swallowtales
03.26.25 | They have the Swing Kids sharing members with The Locust who shared members with Cattle Decap thing going for inclusion, never listened to their early stuff tho so can't comment on similarities musically | unclereich
03.26.25 | feature this @mods | swallowtales
03.26.25 | Other great stuff from 97, I Hate Myself/Strikeforce Diablo split, Prevail - New Foundations, Plunger ST (as much as it counts, but I have to say it as it is so close to my heart and my username namesake), You and I - Saturday's Cab Ride Home, Amber Inn - All Roads Lead Home.
Also heaps of maybe not quite screamo depending on how you cut it but somewhere around there amazing releases like Four Hundred Years - Suture, The Party of Helicopters - Abracadaver, 30 Second Motion Picture - Can't Kill Time, Rye Coalition - Hee Saw Dhuh Kaet, Beacon/Tribute split, The Hal Al Shedad - The Dichotomy of Yesterday, Harriet the Spy - Unfuckwithable | EmoEmporium
03.26.25 | @swallow I think they sound enough like Screamo to consider this very early release, but I also didn't want to extend myself by talking about it lol.
I also wanted to talk about I Hate Myself, but calling them Screamo proper was too controversial, even for me! | Uzumaki
03.26.25 | Absolutely love these lists! | swallowtales
03.26.25 | @Emo the genre boundaries are funny aye - I try to think about them less as time goes on and so everything that's in the general space fits together in my head haha. definitely something to contend with with the project you are doing though so understand you have to cut it somewhere! |
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