REVIEW: Rothschild – American Tantrum [EP/2015]
Artist: Rothschild
Album: American Tantrum – EP
The society we live in is a ball and chain–an oppressive restraint composed by the seemingly unbreakable links of government rule and social standards. Every step we take simply makes the ball one pound heavier and the chain one link shorter; every breath is another centimeter tighter on the noose that lays limp and foreboding around our necks. Few men and women dare to defy society’s oppressive castigation—and of those who do, fewer even come close to succeeding. However, Rothschild not only come close, but rather, they succeed with uproarious ease, proving all it takes is a little outside-the-box thinking and hyper aggressive energy. American Tantrum, the band’s latest EP, is all those things—and at three tracks and just under ten minutes long, they do it with little filler and even less room for error.
American Tantrum is the bastard child of Incendiary’s immense style of heavy handed hardcore and Kingmaker’s cynical, metal-turned-hardcore attitude. Rothschild take splashy, bouncy percussion–from drummer Caleb Petticrew–and blanket it in lead–in the form of Brandon Coovert’s bass grooves. Because of this, even the danciest and most up-beat portions of “Idealist” and “American Tantrum” still make the listener feel like they’re wearing cement shoes. Because of this, they are completely eviscerated when they can’t move to dodge Davis Snyder’s sprawling guitar. While Petticrew hammers away like the Energizer bunny on meth, and Coover slinks and slams grooves overtop, Snyder lets loose with metallic riffs and beatdown-friendly, mosh pit-inducing chugs that send the listener reeling. “Monologue,” with it’s catchy refrain showcases this well, but truthfully, given American Tantrum‘s brevity, the entire EP is a ruthless display of cutthroat, creative instrumentation that knows neither relent nor remorse.
American Tantrum is like a novella with pages crafted from unbreakable, unbelievably solid instrumentation. However, the story Rothschild tell are words burned into those stone pages by acidic vocals that sear hotter than hellfire. Vocalist Cane Quijano barks with a hectic, harsh scream that is as raw and volatile as rotting meat. Quijano adheres to a straightforward mid-range scream that rarely wavers, doing great justice to the energetic instrumentation that serves as his backdrop. Quijano’s vocals are strong, but his real draw is through his excellent lyricism and impressive power, dominating the mix with oppressive force and immersive lyrics that paint an incredible, thematic image that follows the concept crafted in the band’s previous effort. Quijano’s emotive yelling and frantic shouting—on “Idealist” especially—is evidence enough of his prowess to convince fans of any -core music to give Rothschild a serious and invested listen.
The only immediate flaw to American Tantrum is its brevity. Just as the listener finds themselves getting truly hooked on Rothschild’s dynamic blend of metal and hardcore, the EP ends and leaves the listener hanging. In the grand scheme of things, however, this isn’t anything that can’t be fixed with a little replay button abuse—which is bound to happen anyways with the band’s proclivity towards variety and vicious heaviness that greatly bolsters American Tantrum‘s replay value. Borrowing from traditional hardcore’s straightforward aggression and blending it with more modern bands’ bold storytelling style and hybrid musicianship, Rothschild give the listener a little slice of heaven–even if the key word is “little.”
Free yourself from the social ball and chain, empower yourself with Rothschild’s American Tantrum and break the chains of monotonous metalcore and half-assed hardcore—because whether its in the pit or in your parents’ living room, this quartet will have you throwing a veritable tantrum in no time.
8.5/10
For Fans Of: Kingmaker, Incendiary, Wicked World, Harm’s Way
By: Connor Welsh
