Vote up the best of the best real screamo albums that started it all in the '90s.
If you were to get a handful of folks together and ask them to name their favorite screamo band, you'll probably not only get several different answers; you'll likely start a heated debate on what the term “screamo” even means. It's a fair question. What is screamo, anyway?
Screamo first developed in the early 1990s, and, as the name implies, is an offshoot of the emo genre. By this time, emo acts had already begun infusing their heartfelt lyricism and variable guitar dynamics into the traditional hardcore punk format. The first wave of screamo upped the ante even further with heavier dissonance, increased aggression, unconventional song structures, and - you guessed it - lots of screaming.
For many of us, our introduction to the genre occurred while it was first exploding into the mainstream. Bands such as The Used, Alexisonfire, and Chiodos tastefully blended screamo elements alongside more pop-centric ones, and in doing so, redefined screamo for the new millennium. In the years since, what constitutes “real” screamo has remained contentious. While some like the neatness of being able to categorize anything with a screamed vocal delivery together, others insist on a more rigorous assessment, and will readily point out just how wrong you are for even suggesting that (insert band here) is screamo. They'll likely follow that up by playing whatever “real” screamo they feel best demonstrates just how wrong you truly are.
If you're more of a peacemaker, we've got you covered. If you're more of the latter, consider this the list for you. Vote up the albums below if you feel that they are essential to “real” 1990s screamo. You can also vote down any records you find overrated or less foundational.
Some artists receive little to no attention while active. The work of Vincent van Gogh was largely ignored and unappreciated until after his death, affirming the idea that some art is simply ahead of its time. While van Gogh the man was unknown, van Gogh the idea exists today as one of the greatest painters to have ever lived.
From 1997 to 1999, Saetia the band was largely unknown as well. Maybe the world just wasn't ready for them yet either, because today, Saetia is regarded as one of the most important screamo bands of all time.
After the release of a demo and self-titled 7-inch, Saetia dropped their lone LP in 1998. Vocalist Billy Werner goes all out on Saetia. Whether his voice is cracking through some melancholic melody or he's violently screaming at the top of his lungs, Werner always delivers each line with the utmost sincerity. With expertise of tension and release dynamics, Saetia songs often utilize both clean and overdriven guitar passages to create memorable juxtapositions between loud and quiet, and usually back to loud. “Postlapsaria” is a great example, beginning on a somber and introspective note, only to untether and spiral out of control.
Another band with a remarkably short run, Portraits of Past only existed for about two years in the middle of the 1990s. A running thread with many of the bands on this list is that they developed the majority of their following after they called it quits, and Portraits of Past is no exception.
The title of the album is simply binary code, 01010101. This stylistic decision is a perfect way to summarize some of the themes of the record: the world has become cold, digital, and bleak. “Bang Yer Head” plays out like something of a screamo epic; ideas are introduced, explored, and dropped in favor of some new direction, only to have previous concepts reemerge in surprising new contexts. “Snicker Snicker” follows suit. At over eight minutes long, it covers the same amount of sonic territory other bands might explore throughout an entire full-length album.
The history of Indian Summer lends itself well to emo legend. After all, this is a group that only existed for about a year. Their songs didn't even have proper titles until many years after their initial release, with fans taking it upon themselves to put names to the compositions. Indian Summer's self-titled EP toes the lines between emo, screamo, and post-hardcore, and their legacy can still be heard today in the artists carrying those respective torches. “Woolworm” transitions between minimalist spoken word sections and abrasive outbursts of pure catharsis. Like a magician revealing the rabbit up their hat, Indian Summer pull these tricks off seamlessly; masters of their craft.
But unlike magicians, nothing about Indian Summer was illusory. Don't let their brevity fool you - Indian Summer will always be the real deal.
Combatwoundedveteran's blend of powerviolence and screamo made for some of the most frightening sounds to come out of the genre. While some screamo bands routinely shift between loud and quiet, Combatwoundedveteran was in the former camp far more often than the latter. In this case, it works flawlessly, because I Know a Girl Who Develops Crime Scene Photos isn't a marathon. It's a sprint. You're not sure what you're running from, but you know you might be in for the race of your life. 19 songs in 19 minutes is quite an undertaking, but if you keep moving, you might make it out okay.
Plenty of bands compose music with similar levels of brevity, but what they sometimes find difficult is making them sound distinct from one another. Combatwoundedveteran have a knack for finding intuitive ways to highlight different elements of the band. Album opener “My Spine! My Spine! My Spine!” lets the bass take the wheel, while “Propaganda Films Shot with a Sitcom Script” gets the message across by beating the drums to absolute shreds.
Yaphet Kotto emerged from Santa Cruz, California in the mid 1990s and left us with a lasting legacy of thought provoking and political screamo. In 1999, Yaphet Kotto released The Killer Was in the Government Blankets, a title that alludes to the contention that British colonists conducted biological warfare against indigenous American populations by gifting them blankets infected with smallpox. The implication from the title alone should be enough to convince anyone that Yaphet Kotto had a lot to say, and wasn't afraid to say it.
“First Meetings Agreement” provides for some of the most appetizing screamo ever concocted. The first half of the song provides the top-tier energetic outbursts we've come to expect out of great screamo. What follows is what really sets Yaphet Kotto apart. The second half sucks all the air out of the room, and reflects on the previous insanity, seemingly in slow motion. Rarely, if ever, does any moment on the record feel out of place. Sections always seem to last the perfect amount of time. Count on Yaphet Kotto to always change things up at just the right moment.
Heroin entered the game early. Some would go as far as to say they are the main progenitors. At the very least, Heroin are without a doubt one of the earliest pioneers within the screamo genre. From 1989-1993, Heroin captivated audiences with their experimental and frantic take on hardcore punk.
Many of the characteristics that would eventually become associated with screamo are found on Heroin, a posthumous compilation record released in 1997. At around 30 tracks and only about an hour long, it is surprisingly accessible and a fascinating glimpse into the foundational years of a genre that countless bands continue to draw from over three decades later.
