Led by the former frontman of
Quicksand
and
Gorilla Biscuits
, guitarist
Walter Schreifels
,
Rival Schools
contain a who's who of the New York
post-hardcore
scene, and their first full-length actually lives up to the expectations raised by their pedigree. From the opening
"Travel by Telephone"
to the heavy-noise breakdowns of the instrumental closer,
"Hooligans for Life,"
rarely let up on their melodic but forceful attack, and when they do briefly slow down, the success of their experiments often outweighs the failures. Pummeling tracks like
"The Switch"
show a commanding recognition of the member's past glories, but there is a
rock
aspect to the music as well, and
Schreifels
' stellar voice gives a constant boost to the band's effectiveness. This is tamer material than the past projects of
Rival School
's members, but when one considers pasts in
CIV
, Burn, and
Die116
, it sheds some light on how heavy the band can still manage to be. This is the
alternative
to all the
metal
out there, and
join a group of talented bands who realize that there can still be some dignity brought to
hard rock
.
United by Fate
is an impressive first record for any band, and it looks like it may be just the beginning from a band who deserves some real recognition. ~ Peter J. D'Angelo