I suppose I can't knock Scary Kids Scaring Kids for trying to avoid being one of those 'scene' scream/sing bands, can I? I can? Great! Back in the day, the band's self-released 'After Dark' EP kind of rode in on the crest of the original Thursday and Finch-esque wave, climbing upon a surfboard and magically maneouvering their way back to shore. It wasn't the kind of flashy genre-defining music of some of their peers, but at a time when the genre was becoming incredibly stale, they at least offered a glint of light at a very dark time. 'The City Sleeps In Flames' came next and was arguably more grown up - a little Thursday-like in it's maturity, a record that didn't really stick and to be honest ended up gathering dust on a shelf. It was ambitious - and not too bad - but again found itself cramped in a genre where there's little room to force yourself out of the pack.
This time round the band have dropped the screaming and the obvious genre influences that they'd previously ripped off. And while that should be a good thing, the more rock-driven sound they've now developed is just as contrived. It's the sound of a band taking a side-step more than a giant leap forward. Perhaps most disappointingly, the band have missed out on some of the more synthy parts of the record, burying the instrument lower in the mix. The synth seems to have been used less and less since the EP, and while I can understand the band wanting to move away from it because of the sheer number of groups who have cottoned on, it kind of gave SKSK an eerie sense - what is termed in the business as a USP (unique selling point).
So now we're just left with an average sounding rock record, stripped away of one genre cliche and instead propping up the sound of another. A bit like what Atreyu or Avenged Sevenfold have done when you look at how they've also managed to move away from their earlier sound. Opener 'Prelude' is absolutely pointless, although the next three or four songs aren't too bad. Then it all goes a bit pear-shaped; 'Star-Crossed' and 'De-railed', for example, are just plain old baaaaaad songs. Having said all that there are a few choruses here if you'll listen for long enough and while the kids are no longer scary, it would be difficult to write the band off entirely. It's all just a bit obvious and average really.
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