Not many people remember DC melodic hardcore band Affront, whom has the dubious distinction of being one of three bands (J Page and 3 Inches of Blood are the others) to ever shack out on my wooden apartment floors. I wasn't living here at the time but my old roommate took these boys out for a night on the town that included some shenanigans at the strip club with a member of Too Pure to Die. So Affront have always had a special place in my CD collection even though they never played a show here, nor do I personally know them, though they did fight over the two smelly couches in my living room.
The Scare features Affront members Scott and Peter in their ranks and their music is very comparable to Affront, but more melodic and catchy. The drumming on Snakes Among Saints is especially well done and full of memorable fills that keeps a steady quick-paced beat. If you don't mind a few whooaaaaahs from time to time you might find yourself singing songs from this five-song EP in the shower. At times they reach an almost radio rock sound not unlike AFI or the other made for MTV "hardcore" bands out there that are abusing the cable waves these days, but thankfully these moments are few and far between.
The one thing that surely sets The Scare away from the plethora of other fast melodic hardcore bands is that they are in the league with Satan, at least lyrically. Imagine if you will, Dave Smalley-era Dag Nasty singing Deicide type lyrics that are blasphemous, evil, and funny all at the same time. There are tons of references to blood, angel wings, graves, and other sacrilegious words that one might find on any Venom record. Oddly enough it all works in The Scare's favor.
So while everyone else at Scene Point Blank is in fisticuffs over if the new AFI album is any good or not (Here's my review: Fuck that band!), I will have Snakes Among Saints on repeated listens in my room as I set a fire pentagram on my floor and sacrifice virgins to Beelzebub. Or maybe I will just circle pit with my fist pumping in the air. Either way it's going to be a blast. Come back and actually play Minnesota this time, the strip clubs in Minneapolis miss you and my floor is always welcome.
