All Hail The Yeti describe this album as a collection of “short scary stories”, the sort you tell around a campfire.
Problem is, you can’t really tell. For a start, the lyrics are mostly screamed so a large chunk of their spooky message is lost in a shouty quagmire. Apparently Daughter Of The Morning Star is about revenge and black magic but it sure as hell doesn’t sound like Candlemass. Actually, a lot of Screams… is surprisingly upbeat, centring its sound on a heady combo of metalcore and stoner riffs.
And with the help of Matt Hyde (Deftones, Slayer) at the sound desk this is a sharp, well-produced collection of aggressive yet melodic songs with big hooks and even bigger choruses.
Strip out the lame sound effect of scared kids on Before The Flames and you’ve got a solid slice of metalcore, while tribute to a fallen friend, Mr Murder, featuring Brock Lindow, is loaded with passion and great A7X-esque harmonies, making the whole ‘scary story’ thing a bit of a non-point.
