A Wilhelm Scream - Ruiner

The band previously known as Smackin’ Isaiah has been amassing a much broader fanbase over about the past year, and I’m unable to pinpoint the reason. Whether this surge in popularity can be attributed to the success of their last record, or if it’s merely because Ruiner often comes across as an album based off the sound and success of groups like Taking Back Sunday—though A Wilhelm Scream bundles it with a good deal more aggression, metal riffs, dual guitar harmonies, and balls. I’m personally nauseated by the endless stream of bands using the transition between singing and screaming in their songs, only to dive into a half-sung/half-whined chorus, but A Wilhelm Scream is a step above the rest. With the gravelly vocals recalling Gainesville punk a la Hot Water Music, the overall mood of the album is total Jersey-core, i.e., Lifetime. Though fourteen tracks should allow for a variety, Ruiner doesn’t divert from the beaten path that much, but most of the bands on the trail should be following A Wilhelm Scream, who manage to keep a certain rough quality to their sound without losing any elements of accessibility. Lyrically, well, the lyrics are hardly discernible—they’re either delivered at a rapid-fire pace or are lost in the gruffness, though from what you can here, the group doesn’t veer from typical subjects of relationship matters. And while it’s obvious the band has a sense of humor (song titles include “Me Versus Morrissey in the Pretentiousness Contest,” “The Kids Can Eat a Bag of Dicks,” and “Less Bright Eyes, More Deicide”), I can’t tell if it’s lighthearted fun-poking or immaturity at its worst. I prefer to think it’s the former, and for what it’s worth, Ruiner is a decent record. [www.awilhelmscream.com]