The King Is Dead (Ruiner - A Wilhelm Scream)

Member Name: rleigh

Product:	Ruiner - A Wilhelm Scream
Date:	28/01/08 (76 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A brilliantly unpredictable album which is always a joy to listen to.

Disadvantages: Not a fan of Melodic Hardcore? Not one for you.

A Wilhelm Scream are an American Punk Rock band from New Bedford, Massachusetts. Since forming in 1996 the band have released four studio albums, 'Ruiner' being their third which was released in 2005. Containing fourteen tracks, 'Ruiner' is an incredibly strong album from the band and is one that I have listened to many times since receiving. There are not many bands out there producing this fine genre of Melodic Hardcore in quite such a way as A Wilhelm Scream, that's for sure. The album clocks in at a mere 36 minutes in length, meaning that each track is roughly two and a half minutes long - a perfect length for music of this sort.

With A Wilhelm Scream there is never a dull moment, and as the band progress through their fourteen track strong album of excellence you will find yourself hotly anticipating as to what the band will have to offer next. Beginning with 'The King Is Dead', the album impresses from the word go and never do the band stop doing so. 'The King Is Dead' is fast, fun and a joy to listen to; qualities which sum up the album as a whole, a perfect opening to the album which set up the listener expectations of the release, expectations which are always met by the band might I add.

The album has many highlights and in fact with every track on display here the band impress. Whilst some tracks are fast paced and hard hitting, others take a softer approach, however their tracks in both of these categories are always as important as each other. The contrast in sounds that the band provide with this album are always excellent and it is forever fantastic to hear them mixing things up a little. 'In Vino Veritas II' for instance provides one of the albums softer moments and although it is of a lesser pace than tracks such as 'Killing It' and 'The Kids Can Eat a Bag of Dicks', it is no less vital to the album as a whole and does not sound at all out of place.

My favourite track from this album is probably 'Me vs. Morrissey in the Pretentiousness Contest (The Ladder Match)'. The title amused me greatly as I consider Morrissey to be one of the most pretentious men alive, and the track itself is a supreme example of the sort of music you can expect with A Wilhelm Scream. Everything about the song fits together perfectly here in a track which I have played many times over the last couple of years. The vocals are simply brilliant, the guitar riffs excellently executed, and the chorus will have you singing along in no time. All the components of this track just seem to work well together and listening to it is therefore a joy.

You never quite know what to expect next when listening to A Wilhelm Scream, their music is unpredictable and just when you think you know the direction a track is going in, the band will surprise you and take an abrupt turn. This is something that I admire about the band and when listening to them this factor makes their music all the more appealing to me. I feel that the unpredictable nature of the music of A Wilhelm Scream is definitely what appeals to me most about their sound, each track never short of a surprise or two.

'Ruiner' is an album that I'd definitely recommend you listen to. The band never fail to impress here and the music is always excellent. The guitars are consistently strong throughout this release as too are the vocals, with the drums providing the perfect back beat for an under appreciated genre of Melodic Hardcore. A Wilhelm Scream are a band thoroughly deserving of a larger fan base than what they have as their music is always excellent and at no times unexciting. There is always so much going on with the music of this band that they will never fail to have your full undivided attention and at no point do they not have you hooked as they blast their way through this 'Ruiner' album.


Label: Nitro
Release Date: 12th September 2005

Summary: A fantastic third album from A Wilhelm Scream