Raucous, relentless and vicious as hell, Seattle, WA’s Schoolyard Heroes are poised to convert any skeptics to their electrifying church of horror!
After two albums with The Control Group, countless brutally epic shows opening for bands like The Fall of Troy, Mindless Self Indulgence, Kill Hannah, Daughters, The Birthday Massacre and The Horrors, Schoolyard Heroes have become more than ready to dominate anything in their path. With Abominations—a fierce horror metal-laden onslaught that confronts the evil side of human nature, with narratives that take place during the apocalypse--vocalist Ryann Donnelly, bassist Jonah Bergman, guitarist Steve Bonnell and drummer Brian Turner prove that they’re stronger now than they’ve ever been, having made a gorgeous, raging album completely on their own terms.
Schoolyard Heroes are, after all, a band known for their feral, singularly unique take on spazz-out post-hardcore; Iron Maiden meets Karen O at the firing range. Blender noted in a review of 2005’s Fantastic Wounds that the band’s “creeping melodies menace like an unseen villain.” Now, their villainous onslaught is anything but hidden. Guided by Donnelly’s powerful operatic vocals and solidified by Bonnell’s manic riffage, the band’s songs can touch on everything from doom metal, garage punk and theatrical fear pop while transcending it all. The Heroes can turn on a dime, juggle disparate time signatures, mix energy with restraint, or blast into full-throttle gory mayhem with a precision and talent that is not only
astounding, but rare.
The plots of Schoolyard's stories have always been nefarious, but this album’s lyrics are especially frightening in that they deal with the psyches of people who have done particularly horrible things. “Cemetery Girls” takes place during the end of days, in a world where nobody but women are left—and the tale is as haunting as the pace is gripping. Donnelly’s ferociously strong voice can, and does, demand the attention it deserves as she balances sultry with spooky; acrobatics with solidity.
Abominations was recorded and produced by John Goodmanson (The Blood
Brothers, Sleater-Kinney, Blondie, The Wu Tang Clan) prior to finding its home on Stolen Transmission. Blag Dahlia of Dwarves fame dropped in for a few days to help coax out the black magic, and several of the bands’ friends stepped in on occasion as pianists, handclappers, and a chilling all-female choir. This is it: Schoolyard Heroes at their most mature, most epic, and most pure. Get ready.
We will be playing shows around Washington while we work on some new cuts!!
9/18-Yakima at The Jade Room
9/27- Port Orchard at Sk8town
