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SCORPION CHILD
I Saw The End As It Passed Right Through Me
Noize In The Attic

When it comes to playing dark rock and roll that blends haunting themes and atmospheric melodies along with a unique fusion of post-punk, hard rock, and brooding aesthetic, Austin, Texas rockers SCORPION CHILD can sure elate a mouthful. Galvanized with a fortified lineup and renewed dedication, the quintet, comprised of Aryn Jonathan Black (vocals), Asa Allen Savage (guitar), Adrian Arostone (guitar), Garth Condit (bass), and Ryan Henderson (drums), are poised to sting their return to the scene with their latest disc I Saw The End As It Passed Right Through Me. A mesmerizing combination of dark-sounding tones and riffs so heavy that you can hear the floorboards beneath your stereo creaking, I Saw The End is SCORPION CHILD's own unabashed raw classic style amongst its own hard rock, punk and even darkwave influences. And none more so than through its first single "Outliers", a powerful punch of a song, filled with introspective lyrics, that perfectly encapsulates the band's distinct style. The song was recorded at Austin's Point West Recording with Charles Godfrey (BLACK ANGELS, THE MOUNTAIN GOATS), and, according to the band's frontman, it "deep dives into the organizational use of fear tactics and the related, unknown forces that we are supposed to run from, or conform to," he states, "The song is a look into the thought that 'they' are always watching us and that we should play the same game from our POV in the shadows."

Indeed, while "Outliers" and its melodic early 90's QUEENSRYCHE-sounding vibe is a perfect introduction to I Saw The End, there's plenty of sounds passing right through SCORPION CHILD's veins for the eager listener to relate to. "Actress" starts off with a nice jangly CULT-sounding riff before segueing into a rhythmically fast darkwave number. "See The Shine" also offers much of the same but with almost twice of the volume and fury. Opening number "Be The Snake" has a nice energetic flow to its whole cadence while "The Starker" does a stellar job in marrying the dark tones of late 90's alt-metal with melodic 80's Sunset Strip glam in its intro, an image of the DEFTONES if they were fronted by Blackie Lawless coming to mind before its climax quickly collapses into a sonic frenzy of brooding riffs and caveman-like tubthumping as Black cries "Another fucking wall down!" over the outro. Being that the album also shares its release date with Valentine's Day, I Saw The End does offer a slow acoustic closing number in the form of the melodically maudlin "Hanging Sun".

Themed on Black's own personal loss throughout its scribing, arranging and recording, I Saw The End is perhaps the truly darkest-sounding album in SCORPION CHILD's small but burgeoning catalogue. Yet, it also yields the sound and the spirit of a band that has weathered many experiences of both magic and loss throughout its brief tenure - and perhaps it's all more of a reason as to why the album sounds as much of a cathartic vehicle as it is. Even scheduling the release for Valentine's Day probably helps reinforce the tone of the album's mood about how finite our own existence is while searching for simple adulation throughout our lives. That said, regardless of one's relationship status at any given time, I Saw The End is an album that's as much doom and groove as it is doom and gloom in parts, but with a mood that eventually passes towards something more brighter.

4.5 Out Of 5.0

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