These Arms Are Snakes - This Is Meant to Hurt You (Cover Artwork)

These Arms Are Snakes

This Is Meant to Hurt You (2003)

Jade Tree


Ex-Botch, Ex-Kill Sadie...sounds like a metalcore fantasy, but These Arms are Snakes are not what you'd expect. While not as heavy as you'd think, 'da Snakes are just as assaulting. Sounding like a cross between Fugazi, Therapy?, Nomeansno and the Blood Brothers (who also happen to be tourmates o' da Snakes), These Arms Are Snakes have managed to craft a solid EP of interesting post-punk. Kicking off wearing their influences on their sleeves ("Riding the Grape Dragon" could've very well fit in on Milemarker's "Frigid Forms Sell" record and "Run Through It" zips along Drive Like Jehu style), things get start getting interesting fast. The wiry guitar lines of the two standouts, "Diggers of Ditches Everywhere" and the, uh, interestingly-titled "Drinking From the Necks of the Ones You Love", slither along (hahahahha...hoo boy) creating dreamy soundscapes before cracking open into firy climaxes. While all solid, with track lengths nearly always nearing or exceeding 5 minutes, the songs tend to plod along at points sometimes. Anyhow, get thee to the studio and produce the full lentgth already. Post-punk at its grating-est (...uh, is that a word?), these dudes are gonna be dangerous. Hiss. For Fans Of: Blood Brothers, Hot Snakes, Milemarker