Last December, I took a flight up north to see A Wilhelm Scream play their 20-year anniversary of Ruiner. It’s the record they were touring off when I first saw them, a wide-eyed kid at their first music festival, back in 2006, wondering who this band with these long lines for their merchandise was, and what they were all about. It was one of those love at first chord situations.
A Wilhelm Scream has been a consistent part of my life ever since. They’re almost always up to something, and it’s not hard to catch them on tour. Twenty years feels like a long time when you’re still in your early 30’s, I’ll tell you that; and with that, they might even be the band that has shaped my taste in music most. The combination of fast and technical riffs without losing the melodic element, the combination of the desperation and anger, without moving into self-righteousness. There’s something about this band that no other band has been able to replicate – and I loved all their records so far, even though they definitely have some filler songs.
When I first heard a song from the new record, it was during those Ruiner shows in December. It sounded promising, and I couldn’t wait to hear the record. Then the first singles came out, and when everyone around me was posting about how great they were, I wondered if they were listening to the same songs as me. There was only one person who agreed that there was something going on with Cheap Heat that made it a lot less listenable than it could be, and he thought it’d be fun to have me throw myself at it in a review. I hope you’re happy now, Jim.
Kicking off with Somebody’s Gonna Die, the tinny sound of the cymbals immediately gets to me. When the vocals kick in, I am wishing that they released the raw demos. Someone has to explain to me what the vision on the production is here, because it feels very flat. There is a great song hidden behind it, and yet, I just cannot get past the vocals being muddled the way they are. It’s a classic A Wilhelm Scream song, and those whoas in the chorus, the build-up to the bridge, that then seamlessly falls into the chorus – and yet, they buried the sound.
“Feed on the chumps and survive or get eaten alive”
The Scumbag Grift starts with the exact same problem. Is there a reverb behind the vocals? I cannot figure out what’s going on, but whatever it is, it shouldn’t be going on. There’s a bit more technical musicianship going on on this song, it switches faster and harder between what they’re doing, giving it the feeling of one of their heavier songs. The bridge is absolutely fantastic though, reminding me a lot of Get Mad You Son of a Bitch.
“You got to play to win, or get taken by the scumbag grift”
We’re moving on to Midnight Ghost, and another issue found of the previous songs as well, becomes a major annoyance. What’s happening with that static every now and then? Is it the snare? It’s abrupt and cuts off, and doesn’t feel intentional. This is such a good song though, and I can see myself loving this live. But god, that little staticy pitch that’s there grinds at me. It’s less obvious when listening to this from my shitty car speakers, and I’m starting to consider doing the rest of this review from a car. The chorus is fantastic, that feeling of going back and forth. The bass on this song, man, the outro makes me so happy. Really looking forward to some live shows.
“I offer up a sacrificial offering, I offer you my worst”
What is ruining I Got Tunnel Vision? Well, I haven’t talked about the snare yet. Because why? Why are the vocals this muddled, but the snare turned up to 100? Jim described this record as the St Anger of punk, and I’m stealing that framing. Once again though, it’s a really good song. A Wilhelm Scream shows why they’re one of the best bands on the block, and why they have such a cult following. It’s a fairly straight-forward song, hanging together by a lot of heavy riffage, and it makes me want to get up and go. Do what? I don’t know. Get up and go, cause I got tunnel vision!
“It came to luck, I been a hopeless case, found lust in a stranger’s eyes”
I said it in my intro, every A Wilhelm Scream record has a few songs that feel like fillers, and I wonder if Let it Ride might be the one for Cheap Heat. There’s a lot of great ideas, and it doesn’t really tie together for me just yet. It’s trying too much at once, even for A Wilhelm Scream, whose entire thing is trying too much at once and getting away with it.
“I’ve been thinkin’ bout the year I lost my mind, said fuck it, let it ride”
The intro riffs for Fell Off are absolutely lovely. You never really realise how well those metal-inspired riffs work within punk until you give songs like these a good listen. That tiny melody kicking in after we vowed to never forget it gets me every time. Or how it all falls silent on the second I resurrect, just to kick back as if that never happened again. It’s not the strongest song on this record, but it’s got those small details that make A Wilhelm Scream songs so much fun to revisit.
“I’ll bring back this king killer glory, salt their wounds with sound and fury”
I’m not sure if Run. feels like another filler to me, or whether it’s the production really, really hurting this song. It feels like this is another song that absolutely would be killer live, and I can imagine the singalongs on I know everything about the struggle, I know everything about the shame. There’s just enough repetition in the vocal lines to grab your attention.
“Ain’t ever been the type to run away from shit, I ain’t ever leavin’”
Visitor: Unimpressed is fast and heavy. It really leans hard on the guitar riffs happening, but they’re just a bit too repetitive, making a two-minute song feeling like one of the longer tracks on this record. Its power is in those last thirty seconds, if you ignore the echo in those backing vocals upon so it’s back to space.
“Fuck this place, this god don’t wanna save you now, so it’s back to space to find another life divine.”
Next up is Unsolving the Mystery, and it’s another classic A Wilhelm Scream song, though a bit more reminiscent of their work on Lose Your Delusion; it fits in a record that’s following that one up.
“I want to take those words, throw them back at you, but how long can I go unsolving all the mystery?”
The record ends with Poison II. I love how the drums and vocal lines work together on this song to create a sense of urgency, and though still filled with riffs throughout, still heavy, there’s a purposely restrained feeling to this song, creating a tension that fits an album closer.
“We’ll see in the afterlife if the harbinger’s true. Talk shit to me? Fuck you.”
Cheap Heat reminds me a lot of Partycrasher. It took me a while to get into that record, but after I did, well, those may be some of my favourite songs. The difference is that Partycrasher is actually enjoyable to listen to, while this record brings on a lot of frustration with how it sounds. That said, the songs themselves are great, and Midnight Ghost and I Got Tunnel Vision might be some of the best work of their career. It’s those great songs that’ll keep me coming back to it. I guess it makes for more of a motivation to catch them live when they come around.
