Oxeneers Or The Lion Sleeps When Its Antelope Go Home:These Arms Are Snakes

Title: Oxeneers or the Lion Sleeps When Its Antelope Go Home

Label: Jade Tree

Genre: amazing post-hardcore

Rating: 7 of 7

These Arms are Snakes (easily in my top 10 favorite bands) have released their first full length and the follow up to 2003’s completely flawless EP, This is Meant to Hurt You. The strangely named album picks up right where the EP let off, complete with sinister guitar licks, explosive bass lines, spaced-out effects and Steve Snere’s sassy, confrontational vocals. As a whole, the music is somehow heavy and ethereal at the same time, not to mention capable of creating both an insane mosh pit and a dance floor meltdown. And this is all after the band was cut down to a threesome, including former members of Botch and Kill Sadie (and Minus the Bear’s Erin Tate sitting in on drums). It is somewhat of a concept album in that lyrics were initially a short story written by Snere commenting on observations made while working at his job in one of Seattle’s check cashing services. Produced by Matt Bayles (Blood Brothers, Pretty Girls Make Graves, Isis), Oxeneers is without a bad track, and a true progression from the earlier EP. It is vicious, angular, intense, confrontational, infectious and sexy all in the same moment. If you are into any form of rock at all, please PLAY the hell out of this, and then go see them live, because they are even better in person.

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