Posted on Under The Gun Review on Saturday November 5th 2011.
With their previous release, Old Pride, Baltimore’s Pianos Become The Teeth created one of the best (but forgotten) records of 2010. Now as the band head into 2012, the follow-up, The Lack Long After doesn’t quite have the same zest and longevity as their last release.
On Old Pride, the quintet showcased a compelling blend of post-hardcore, screamo and (in places) post-rock. With The Lack Long After lean more towards the post-hardcore side yet they subtly keep that textured sound that made the band appealing first time around.
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Posted on AlterThePress.com in February 2010
Baltimore’s Pianos Become The Teeth cleverly combine elements of screamo, hardcore and post-rock with compelling 8-track release, ‘Old Pride’. Beginning with ‘Filial’ and 90’s emo-like guitars before erupting into what sounds like Thursday, at their most chaotic. What follows is a mixture of screams, that at times dominate over well thought out melodies, that bring a sense of grandness.
‘Quit Benefit’ continues this trend, despite the somewhat interesting lyrics; “you are a parrot to what you hear”. Thankfully the spiralling guitars take the upper hard. Whilst the complex drum work is noticed on ‘Sleepshaker’.
Elsewhere tracks like ‘Prev’ and ‘Pensive’ are compelling, euphoric in their instrumentation, as the band start to head down a near post-rock route, although the bands post-hardcore foundation still manages to shine through brilliantly. Nevertheless closing track (‘Young Fire’) calmly closes the album with its slow tempo and intense tone as it goes plods along, with no vocals being thrown in at any point.
‘Old Pride’ proves to be an enjoyable, refreshing record with Pianos Become The Teeth, using some clever ideas along the way, as they have managed to get the right balance between screamo/hardcore and post-rock.
4/5
‘Old Pride’ by Pianos Become The Teeth is available now on Topshelf Records.
Pianos Become The Teeth on MySpace.
