Every Time I Die
Gutter Phenomenon
Ferret
For those about to wear women's jeans...
As with most young metalcorish bands, I’m totally rooting for Every Time I Die to be better than they are. Frontbrah Keith Buckley can squawk witty, tasteless one-liners without coming off like a steakhead, guitarists Andrew Williams and Jordan Buckley lock licks via hypercaffeinated hammer-ons, and the rhythm section (drummer Ratboy and bassist Chris Byrnes) lays a solid punk foundation to keep the sometimes arbitrary shredding grounded. While that effectively nullifies any sense of macrocosmic adventure, know that ETID will bite your fucking head off if you venture into their self-constructed cage. They’re good at What They Do, and that’s it, and that’s fine.
Possibly their best-actualized cut to date, “Bored Stiff” begins with an out-of control, Botch-nodding lead, snaps into a robust clean chorus (highlighted by Buckley introducing himself, Greg Dulli-style: “Hey there, girls! I’m a cunt!”), then drops a flurry of jud-jud breaks augmented by robust, way-too-rare drum breaks. “Stiff” is ably followed by the hammering “Easy Tiger,” which entertainingly interpolates Robert Palmer and the wide world of STD culture; it’s about as accessible as ETID gets, not counting the let’s-pretend-this-isn’t-happening cowbell jam, “The New Black.”
The remainder of Phenomenon competently sticks to predecessor Hot Damn’s rollicking if-it-ain’t-broke blueprint, but it must be said: the Dillinger Escape Plan—whose imprint is all over this band’s catalogue—inspire wonder about the future of metal; Every Time I Die inspire wonder about when the bassist is going to lead the crowd in synchronized handclaps. For now, these Buffalonians seem content being the AC/DC of the math-rawk set.
—Andrew Bonazelli
