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It's sort of ironic that Phoenix, AZ's Scary Kids Scaring Kids were embracing DIY ethics so early on. The band crowned their name from a caP'n Jazz song, and posted a full six-song EP for download on their site once it was available. Then suddenly, the band found themselves recording demos for Interscope Records, and later on, now releasing an overproduced mess of clichés for former Epic imprint Immortal in The City Sleeps In Flames.

The EP in question, 2003's After Dark (reissued the next year by Hour Zero), was full of promise; sure, it found the band dwelling in the slowly molding new wave of trivial post-hardcore, but the band were bringing a Thursday influence to interesting grounds, with a scathing intensity at times, well-placed keyboards and an overall eerie vibe unlike that of their peers. Instead of capitalizing on these things, The City Sleeps In Flames takes all worn-out stock from the release and brings it to the forefront.

Opener and title track "The City Sleeps In Flames" definitely has smooth melodies and a catchy chorus, keeping intact that dramatic affect. From there, an utterly boring album dips into sub-mediocre territory with cheesy metal riffs ("The Only Medicine"), auto-tuned lead vocals ("What's Said And Done"), annoying TRL balladry ("Just A Taste"), and mind-numbingly scuzzy synth/guitar combinations ("The Bright Side Of Suffering"). If not one of these things, the band is relying on any one of the following for a lyrical subject, metaphorically or otherwise: guns, hearts, dying, etc. al.

While Scary Kids Scaring Kids' After Dark certainly offered the promise of teaching a dog on life support new tricks, The City Sleeps In Flames is the lethal injection that puts it to sleep.

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The City Sleeps In Flames



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    Posted by D00M3D on 2007-02-14 08:43:09

    I. Love this band.

    Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, January 25, 2006 at 12:19 PM (EST)

    scary kids rock the world

    Posted by maxscene on 2005-12-12 05:15:34

    ok ok how many angry emo fags do you want on this page harrasing the SK i thinkyou are just bitter because you busted style band cant make it off the round so dont be bitter when you see ppl with talent getting some where dont waste you time posting hate spend you time rehersing for your first ever gig nd try and get the presige that the Scary kids.. have and see how hard this amaze band has worked to get where they are and they didnt work this hard ot be slagged down by shit heads like you
    so get a life and get the latest s.k.s.k c.d and try and learn a few thing
    kthnx love and all that jazz

    I LOVE SCARY KIDS SCARING KIDS

    Posted by fritobandito on 2005-08-29 10:55:30

    PS: "i dun tenk its fair for u faggots to judge the album cuz every1 have deir fuking expectations...." is probably my quote of the week, that's just too mind-numbingly stupid.

    Posted by fritobandito on 2005-08-29 10:53:44

    so I think the last two comments' inherent stupidity and general ignorance really bolstered the "SKSK sucks" camp's arguement, how about you?

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, August 19, 2005 at 9:11 PM (EDT)
    My Score:

    Ok listen all you fuckers that dont like this band.. Your all jealous that a band with a not so good name is makin it.. And the fact that the cd cover sucks... It doesnt matter.. These guys mix up every song unlike a lot of bands.. And the sound is great.. No more shit about sksk.. These guys are the shit and deserve everyones respect. All the haters dont listen to them.. And dont fucken write comments... Save our time... And we'll spend time listening to this well worth it c. D. Fuck all you haters!!

    Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, August 14, 2005 at 1:32 AM (EDT)
    My Score:

    Um....stupid bitches.....can't judge the album by its COVER nor NAME..freaking idiots....i dun tenk its fair for u faggots to judge the album cuz every1 have deir fuking expectations....and in my opionion SKSK is the greatest FUCKING band ever..FUCKING awesome...if u dont likee demmm keep urrr freaking comments to urself

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, July 23, 2005 at 3:26 PM (EDT)

    Reviewed by: John-Michael [Thu, June 23, 2005 @ 5:51:56 PM]

    Ambition is a double edged sword. While many bands are content to just release the same album over and over, a select few try to add new elements to their sound. These artists should be commended for their bravery. On the other side of the coin, sometimes ambition leads to ideas that just don’t work and come across as a pretenses mess. With The City Sleeps in Flames the Scary Kids find themselves taking their keyboard worshiping Thursday impression and takes everything up a few notches. While they sometimes fail to deliver on their ideas, the band for the most part succeeds in all of their musical ideas.

    To start things off, one of the things I’ve always loved about Scary Kids’ sound is the keyboards. While most bands try to go with haunting classical sounding keys, they are usually just flat out boring. SKSK keyboardist Pouyan’s lines however seem inspired from the soundtracks to classic NES and SNES games like Castlevaina and Final Fantasy 3. Instead of coming across like a filler instrument, the keyboard truly becomes a defining characteristic of the bands sound.

    As for the rest of the bands sound… well that depends on how much you like Thursday. Vocalist and Bass player Tyson sounds almost exactly like Geoff Rickly, and SKSK play a flavor of post-hardcore very similar in sound to War All the Time. While there are moments where they break off into a double time punk rage, or the occasional hardcore break down, except for the much harder screams this sounds like Thursday.

    At the same time the band shows hints of finding their own sound on “The Only Medicine.” The song is just a blast of anger and emotion that is rarely heard on the rest of the album, and shows signs that the band could have a future past the current emo explosion.

    So back to that ambition I was talking about earlier. SKSK attempts their first ballad in “What’s Said is Done;” a simply breath taking pop song. Honestly this is the first song in a long time that I’ve heard that just screams single, and I hope the band and Immortal give this the old’ video treatment.

    For a few years now, Immortal Records has had a stigma as the record label that couldn’t break Far. With SKSK they’ve taken the first step in getting my forgiveness. The City Sleeps in Flames is a really strong album that delivers on the promise of the bands debut EP and shows signs of growth for the future. While it’s not the most original album out right now, it has it where it counts, with good songs. If you’re a fan of Thursday or the Used this could very well be your new favorite band.

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, July 23, 2005 at 3:20 PM (EDT)
    My Score:

    My grade: A-

    Don’t let the name fool you; Scary Kids Scaring Kids are actually nice guys! Arizona’s own are releasing their first record off of Immortal Records. Their title track “The City Sleeps in Flames” begins with a faint sound in the back, which turns into a chugging guitar. Lead singer/bassist Tyson then comes in with a slightly different vocal style than most, which then turns into a slight scream.

    The next track, “The Only Medicine,” is not a favorite of mine (due to my dislike for most screaming). What does sound really good are the transitions between screaming and vocals. I personally am a sucker for that, especially when bands like SKSK do this so well. The forth song is where SKSK slow it down a bit. “What’s Said and Done” is where their emotional roots come in to bring a slower, more melodic track.

    “The Darkest Hour” begins with a intro of keyboards and drums. As the song progresses, the same keyboard sound is present. As the CD continues, many different genres of music can be heard. The technical sounds are very nice additions to their already well-produced songs. They are not overdone, each is different then the next. That is an excellent feature because some bands find a sound that people like and kill it by having it return in each song.

    The CD ends on a beautiful note at the end of “A Breath of Sunshine,” rather than just continuing the harder influences. For fans of Reggie and the Full Effect, Radiohead, and even bands like Story of the Year, Scary Kids Scaring Kids’ debut The City Sleeps in Flames is the one for you!

    Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, July 20, 2005 at 3:46 PM (EDT)

    "everyone over at absolutepunk.net loves this album and thinks the old ep was just ok. i disagree with them and agree with you. this new album is a generic piece of crap, while the old ep showed alot of promise and hinted at some originality in a (hopefully) dying genre."

    And that's basically what I think.
    The album was kind of a chore to listen too.
    It's kind of 1 song smushed to 11. The only song that's worth listening too is the first track, and empty glasses as long as you don't know english.

    Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, July 14, 2005 at 3:37 PM (EDT)

    I love this Cd! SKSK Rock!

    Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, July 7, 2005 at 5:25 PM (EDT)

    omg i luv scary kids scaring kids...this is the greatest music ive ever heard,,, man i wish i could meet them nd say that they are the greatest band ever

    Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, July 3, 2005 at 1:30 AM (EDT)

    normaly a free cd is a good one but not this time

    Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, July 3, 2005 at 1:29 AM (EDT)

    can't believe that I wasted my time downloading this crap

    Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, July 3, 2005 at 1:27 AM (EDT)

    this is one of the worst cds I've ever heard and whats with the name?

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, July 2, 2005 at 10:52 AM (EDT)

    I think you mean "eratically."

    Posted by etwiels88 on 2005-07-01 20:39:49

    As I Lay Dying was a book written by William Faulkner. They took it from that. Shut up.

    Posted by lou on 2005-07-01 17:41:50

    "I've not heard this album. But fuck, that is one of the worst band names i have EVER heard. Almost on par with 'As i lay dying'. Comical."

    Umm... just for the record, in case you missed the reference in the review, they take their name from the title of a CaP'N Jazz song.

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, July 1, 2005 at 1:00 AM (EDT)

    This cd sucks, i downloaded it and have since deleted almost every song. how is a band like this making it in music?? For once i agree with a review on here, dont even bother downloading any tracks.

    Posted by crackpotdemagogue on 2005-06-30 19:03:41
    My Score:

    I've not heard this album. But fuck, that is one of the worst band names i have EVER heard. Almost on par with 'As i lay dying'. Comical.

    Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, June 30, 2005 at 1:52 PM (EDT)

    that album cover resembles the fear befor the march of flames cover...

    Posted by corpseofmymotivation on 2005-06-30 11:43:07

    fuck that....this cd is great. listen for yourself guys...dont listen to this flamer.

    I think this fairly represents the general demographic of SKSK listeners.

    This band is awful.

    Posted by Marlon on 2005-06-30 10:55:48

    Scott Weber is an abstinate conservative. He has no place reviewing punk rock. My 2 cents.

    To bad I once talked to him about sleeping with an asian girl then... I mean him being abstinate and all.

    Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, June 30, 2005 at 12:24 AM (EDT)

    Actually, Tate has allowed negative reviews. Rohan Kohli posted a not so great (but respectful) review of Ambry, and Tate was fine with it.

    Also, Scott Weber doesn't review 'punk' records or claim to be punk..I think the FAQ @ AP has a thing about how they're not punk at all, but listen to music derived from the genre or some shit like that.

    Posted by Kenjamin on 2005-06-29 18:40:05

    Scott Weber is an abstinate conservative. He has no place reviewing punk rock. My 2 cents.

    Posted by lou on 2005-06-28 21:33:43

    it's a lot easier to like a CD when it's free (and legal) to download. i liked it (kinda sorta). from the sounds of it though i won't waste my time on this new stuff.

    Posted by bloodbrothersburnpiano on 2005-06-28 18:58:32

    "Actually, Scott Weber at absolutepunk.net gave it a 2.2/10"

    yeah he's the exception. and if you missed the thread that tate deleted where he announced his review was posted, basically tate told him and every other reviewer they weren't allowed to write negative reviews anymore.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, June 28, 2005 at 5:47 PM (EDT)

    Authroity Zero isn't that bad.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, June 28, 2005 at 5:37 PM (EDT)

    Actually, Scott Weber at absolutepunk.net gave it a 2.2/10.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, June 28, 2005 at 4:35 PM (EDT)
    My Score:

    dude these guys make arizona look bad. so does jimmy eat world and authority zero, those bands suck ass. fuck this.

    Posted by Sally_Field on 2005-06-28 15:52:32

    Who the hell calls someone a flamer?
    Especially for disliking Scary Kids.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, June 28, 2005 at 3:08 PM (EDT)

    there's a split coming out w/ a band called 'the kirby,' it's on the release schedule.

    i want my royalties!

    - THE kirby

    Posted by StormOf59 on 2005-06-28 13:24:40
    My Score:

    I unfortunately completely agree. This album was such a letdown. Should have seen it coming.

    Posted by xmidipunkbastardx on 2005-06-28 11:52:39

    to the guy down there: please don't use the term "screamo" for this

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, June 28, 2005 at 11:16 AM (EDT)

    Wow, that's the most stunnigly original album cover I've ever seen. No, seriously.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, June 28, 2005 at 7:13 AM (EDT)

    fuck that....this cd is great. listen for yourself guys...dont listen to this flamer.

    Posted by bloodbrothersburnpiano on 2005-06-28 06:32:05

    everyone over at absolutepunk.net loves this album and thinks the old ep was just ok. i disagree with them and agree with you. this new album is a generic piece of crap, while the old ep showed alot of promise and hinted at some originality in a (hopefully) dying genre.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, June 28, 2005 at 1:46 AM (EDT)
    My Score:

    haha all the screamo cds get like 1 star and maybe 1 1/2, but they deserve it.

    Posted by blaubs21 on 2005-06-28 01:44:55

    i seriously had high hopes for this album and i too, was let down majorly. i'll just put on "What's Up Now?" and remind myself of why this band had promise.