SCREAM ARENA – Scream Arena (2014)

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Here at 0dayrox we have presented new British act SCREAM ARENA a couple years ago with their debut single Forever, now the band is releasing their self-titled full length CD produced by American legend Paul Sabu.
The aforementioned 2011 single featured the two more commercial, traditional hard rock songs included as well on this first album; the ‘biggest’, anthemic and most melodic number here titled “Forever”, and “Another Night in London Town”, the sort of melodic mid-tempo rocker that sets this band aside from the pack with a The Cult touch, the kind of song I can see leading these guys somewhere with its radio appeal.
But both are placed in slots 6 and 8 in the album… and you’ll be surprised until then…

Why? Because “Scream Arena” starts with “Born Ready” and you immediately check your stereo… what happened with my hi-fi? Nothing, everything is fine, believe me.
What it isn’t ‘normal’ it’s Scream Arena & Paul Sabu delivery… wtf… both decided something twisted here: they tweaked the knobs to obtain a damn bleak, dark, gloomy hard rock. And I’m not speaking about dark wave, gothic or similar musical trends or tuned down guitars, no at all, this hard rock in structure, and these guys are capable to write really good songs.
What I mean is the fact hard rock is usually a genre associated with sound brilliance, cheerful melodies and catchy choruses, all wrapped by a crisp production.
Well, forget it my fellow readers, sonically this is dark as an endless Arctic winter night.

In some ways it reminds me of the last Kingdom Come, except that here there is a lot more abuse of the low frequencies coming out of the speakers as a plumb ball, and the treble is cut off, attenuated, darkened.
But the craziest thing of the sound from Scream Arena is the lead singer, around which revolves the entire sound setting.
It is evident that Andy Paul owns a powerful set of pipes and he is able reach high registers, but here he sings with a somber tone, husky, malign… it’s the kind of vocals that thirty years ago would have been classified as demoniacal. All accented, of course, by the (on purpose) gloomy production and mix.
To summarize, “Scream Arena” is dark and creepy, but still rocking!

It’s curious; at first glance, during the half playing of opener “Born Ready” I was about to knock off this record and discard it to be presented here. And not because it’s a bad song, it’s a good hard rocker, but the sound… disorients you.
Then arrives track two, the edgy and provocative “The Price Of Love”, followed by the rhythmically great midtempo “Racing To The End Of Night” including a mysterious keyboard line that makes you mad, accompianied by that defiant, intimidating vocals.
And I got hooked. Not in the way of joy and amusement, but with a strange, constant feeling of total blessing and merciless damnation. Somehow this creepy sound excites you, charge you, and keeps you highly exalted.

“House Of Pain” is grit, devious and evil, “Knave Of Hearts” brings horror recalling Alice Cooper, “Goodnight L.A.” is quite Americanized in a Lizzy Borden shocking vein, while “Somewhere” bring some ‘life’ with a melodic guitar line.
The cover of Elvis’ “Heartbreak Hotel” is also individual enough to make you take notice, surely the most murky version of this song ever made.
There’s a highlight in final track “Queen Of Dreams”. After a deep bass guitar gloomy introduction indulges in a sound that can not help but evokes shades of the mid-eighties British underground scene. It’s dark, dense but sticky never forgetting the rules of hard rock, full of that energy button ‘on’ and overwhelming in its development.

“Scream Arena” are also a band not afraid to speak their mind, with frontman Andy Paul noting on the press release: “We are so tired of Smiths retreads and rewatered workings of The Clash being sold to us as the future of rock music. Scream Arena is a response to both the fey indie bands masquerading as ‘rock bands’ in Britain and the studied off the shelf misery of so many metal bands championed by the fashion conscious”.
Setting yourself up like that you better be able to stick your head above the parapet and take criticism… and surely “Scream Arena” (the CD), will have detractors and instant fans in proportion.
One thing is for sure: Scream Arena is not your typical Hard Rock band. They are trying something different here, not much in the songwriting department (traditional structures / patterns) but in a new sonic approach.
Listen and decide by yourself.

01 – Born Ready
02 – The Price Of Love
03 – Racing To The End Of Night
04 – House Of Pain
05 – Heartbreak Hotel
06 – Another Night In London Town
07 – Knave Of Hearts
08 – Forever
09 – Goodnight L.A.
10 – Somewhere
11 – Queen Of Dreams

Andy Paul – Lead Vocals
Alex Mullings – Guitars
Phil O’Dea – Guitars
Lincoln J. Roth – Bass
Michael Maleckyj – Drums
Produced by Paul Sabu

BUY IT !
www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00IKVTH14
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