A Wilhelm Scream - PARTYCRASHER Album Review: All Eleven Tracks Analysed

6. Hairy Scarecrow €“ The band keep the pace blistering on "Hairy Scarecrow," which features finger tapped guitar notes feverishly pulsating throughout the entire song, alongside galloping drums and thrumming bass. The musicianship on "Hairy Scarecrow" is among the most masterful on the album, with the band transitioning between song sections and musical ideas with seemingly minimal effort, all while playing at a high velocity. Later in the song, the band slows down and Pereira sings the lyrics, "In spite of it all / I hate taking the world on with my / head down, disconnected always / with disappointment laying over my face / so much time I've wasted being so angry / I have to say it's getting old," as other band members join in harmony, creating a gruff, heartfelt sing along to maturity. 7. Ice Man Left A Trail €“ On "Ice Man Left A Trail," the band pushes the energy and complexity of the music to its maximum levels. The song opens with dizzying, finger tapped dual guitar lines, further solidifying the band's nearly peerless skill in terms of complex musical composition and execution. The verse is fueled by stuttering, palm muted guitar riffs that highly engage the listener by compacting a tremendous volume of notes into a very short amount of time, similar to the approach The Dillinger Escape Plan employed on their early records. Among the instrumental fireworks, Pereria once again lends the song an added emotional depth with the lyrics, "When it made me feel so easy to just run away / and the pressure I can't feel is coming back to me," expressing feelings of anxiety. 8. Sassaquin €“ For "Sassaquin," the eighth song on the album, the band wisely tones down some of the showy technicality of the previous three songs, allowing the high quality songwriting that is present to shine through. The slower pace also gives the song an easily digestible simplicity, which increases the power of its impact. "Sassaquin" seems to be a preview of the musical direction A Wilhelm Scream may take on future records: slowing down the pace while still maintaining the sharp edge from older albums. For right now, it's a punchy, powerful album highlight.