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When Sparks Fly

We Who Are About To Die
2003
Nice Guy

When Sparks Fly - We Who Are About To Die (Cover Artwork)

Review by: Hein
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Published on December 30th 2003

Four guys from Dayton, Ohio with their debut 7-song EP for Nice Guy Records.

Their sound is pretty tough melodic punk, where the gritty guitars surely are the best and most important reason why you should check them out. There’s plenty of nice riffs, mixed up with melodic hardhitting chords and even an occasional solo. There’s where I can still follow why the bio refers to bands like Recover and Hot Water Music. But the bio also mentions Alkaline Trio, and according to me there’s not much to be found of that in their songs, except maybe for the little tingle-tangle guitar in the opening song “Finding The Weapons Of Self Destruction”. There is the occasional tempo-dropping in many of these songs, but it’s not like there’s a wink to emo or anything. It’s just some sort of preparation for the next tougher part of a song. Actually I often thought early No Use For A Name would be a good band to refer to, because they also had this power to pull out a melodic nice riffy song that was still full of power.

There’s 2 vocalists in this band. As usual you got the more gruffy guy combined with the more melodic voice of the other. Fortunately neither of them has these high-pitched vocals, because that would have certainly been misplaced here. I wouldn’t say the vocals are what makes this music this good, it’s just solid, though unclean singing. Occasionally I thought they even tended to go out of tune, like in “Something Better”, but it’s nothing annoying really.

The absolute best song on this EP has to be “Moving Out, Moving On” because of that incredible nice guitar at the back in the chorus; although it’s a simple looping guitar it goes damn nice with these dual vocals that accompany it. Maybe it’s the most redundant of the 7 songs, but the energy that it embodies is really phenomenal I think and it will have you humming along in no time. There’s plenty good songs on top of this one, although I could perfectly have done without the closing acoustic song. Well, it’s just a one and a half minute finisher of a perfectly hard-driven EP with good tempo-changes, so I can live with that. You can definitely pick this one up if you’re looking for something that has power combined with refined melodic guitars. The mediocre vocals are tucked away cleverly under a multi-vocal blanket.

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Posted by Jesse on 2004-01-10 19:19:40
My Score:

These songs were terrible, as was the website description as "hard-hitting punk rock." Yes, it hit me hard in my wuss joint. It hit me hard like Kate and Leopold did. It hit me hard like Dirty Dancing.

Hard-hitting? That's a terrible adjective.

MidWest punk rock = D4. Always. No other way to do the arithmatic.

Posted by Punkinohio on 2004-01-06 21:01:26
My Score:

these guys are cool.. lokie is un badass

Posted by PetroBPettson on 2004-01-04 05:19:34
My Score:

Terrible? Bad, not terrible though. Good Grammer is so punk!

Posted by backupdork on 2003-12-31 18:04:40
My Score:

these guys played a show around here once, and everyone loved them. they were super nice to everyone, and they played really well. the two fat dudes and the (ex) bass player were cool, but the drummer was one of the nicest guys i ever met. it sucks that they were mean to the kid with terrible grammar, but they were nice to everyone around here.

Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, December 31, 2003 at 5:56 PM (EST)
My Score:

I really like these guys

Posted by PetroBPettson on 2003-12-31 17:12:34
My Score:

Oh, sorry, LATTER......But seriously, who corrects minor spelling infractions online? Tube socks? Plus, they didn't even know my band sucked yet, 'cuz we played after them. But to the kid who likes Braniac, three cheers. Brainiac fucking Rocked AND Rolled! You might wanna check out The Piranhas, the Polysics, and the A-Frames if yer not already in the know.

Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, December 31, 2003 at 2:56 PM (EST)
My Score:

God I still miss Brainiac - back in the day when Dayton almost had a scene...

Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, December 31, 2003 at 2:54 PM (EST)
My Score:

"The only thing they don't suck ass at is growing facial hair to look like Al from Home Improvement(RIP JTT) and being fat(they're especially good at the later!)"

i'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess that you were trying to use the word "latter" you fucking retard, jesus christ... here lemme give you vocabulary lesson

you should kill yourself. you could overdose or you could blow your fucking brains all over a wall. i think the latter would be much more fun to watch

now fuck off

Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, December 31, 2003 at 12:27 PM (EST)
My Score:

Maybe they were asses to you because your band blows & your girl's crotch smells like sweaty tubesocks.

I'm not saying either of these things are true, I'm just guessing.

Posted by Smashed_Into_Pieces on 2003-12-31 11:04:47
My Score:

The album name sounds vaguely familiar....i think its a line from a Mel Brooks Movie

Posted by PetroBPettson on 2003-12-31 05:09:09
My Score:

Who said I stole their merch? I actually DIDN'T(what would I want with a crappy band's crappy crap?). I just know that it happened, and at the time I thought it was funny because they had just gotten done acting like rockstars and talking down to us like we were dumb kids and they were worldly gentelmen, when in reality both bands were middle class young white guys from the mid-west, when we were talking to them outside the venue trying to be nice.......and then they ate all our food because they're fat.

Posted by NoUse on 2003-12-31 02:29:13
My Score:

So.. you go around stealing band's merch while they play?

Thumbs up on that one buddy

Posted by PetroBPettson on 2003-12-31 02:24:36
My Score:

No....They're from Dayton Ohio. I'm from Michigan. I played a show with them once, and My girlfriend's band played a different show with 'em. They were asses both times. Actually one guy was okay, but one outta 4 ain't great odds.

Posted by OKSoda on 2003-12-31 01:09:06
My Score:

Wow. Did they pick on you in high school or something?

Posted by PetroBPettson on 2003-12-30 22:02:45
My Score:

WSF S-U-C-K-S!!!......They write sucky songs. They're Cocky, sucky people who talk down to other, better bands, and they're fans all suck. The only thing they don't suck ass at is growing facial hair to look like Al from Home Improvement(RIP JTT) and being fat(they're especially good at the later!).....and also getting their Merch stolen from behind the table while they play....They kick ass at that. But all the EMO guys are good at growing facial hair....to match their trendy Mesh hats. And getting robbed aint a big task, just ask Slowride or Murder By Death, or all those other bands I know/care nothing about. And if it's Fat you want, then I have two words my friends.....Poison Idea.

Posted by NoUse on 2003-12-30 17:14:51
My Score:

good e.p... i enjoyed it thoroughly..

the live show is something to be seen

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