A Wilhelm Scream – ‘Partycrasher’

The last time A Wilhelm Scream released an album it was 2007. To put that into context, 2007 is pre Obama, pre iPhone and pre Fall Out Boy hiatus. In the six years since hardcore has been killed and saved multiple times over by bands who both rose and fell while A Wilhelm Scream were just doing their thing and touring (although they did release an EP in 2010). The long layoff hasn’t changed A Wilhelm Scream’s sound much, but it has resulted in ‘Partycrasher’ being a tight and structured effort.

A Wilhelm Scream like to open up with big tracks, see ‘The King Is Dead’ and ‘I Wipe My Ass with Showbiz’ from previous albums, and this is no exception as a solitary note falls into the driving rhythms of ‘Boat Builders’. The guitar is frenetic, the bass jumps up and down the fret relentlessly and Nuno Pereira delivers his vocals with a guttural intensity. ‘The Last Laugh’ follows in a similar vein and ‘Partycrasher’ appears to be shaping up to be classic A Wilhelm Scream, spinning viciously like a mosh pit before pirouetting to kick you right in the face with those ridiculous transitions.

No song tops 4 minutes (only two get over 3:30), but they still manage to cram more into them than most bands do in 6. Very few notes are allowed to hang, very few progressions get to live longer than they absolutely need to and it feels like this album has had the fat completely trimmed off it. The vocals have also been mixed extremely well with Pereira’s gruff tones really shining through and the overall production is strong.

After such a good start the album slightly falls away in the middle section as things get slightly repetitive. A Wilhem Scream are known for the eclectic nature of their songs, but midway through ‘Partycrasher’ it almost feels like they’re just going through the motions. The change ups seem a little forced and sometimes the rawness that great hardcore needs just seems to fall away.

Things pick up towards the end with the duel guitars of ‘Ice Man Left a Trail’ and fantastic closer ‘Born a Wise Man’, which feels like the song the album has been building to all along. It’s a rampant and powerful track that you just know is going to go down well live with the incessant energy and wonderful transitions creating that great, “I have no idea what’s happening but I absolutely love it”, feeling.

It might lack the variation that would make it great, but ‘Partycrasher’ is a strong return from A Wilhelm Scream and will be more than enough to satisfy the old fans, as well as gain them some new ones.

TOM GANE