The Casket Lottery : " Feel the Teeth"

This band's 6th full-length shows they still understand the tension from their hard-core toots as they apply it to moody rock n roll. I like how the vocals are produced, as it gives them a slightly darker feel. There is more of a pop-punk shout when the dynamics build, which brings to mind bands like Thrice. This has a very early 2000s feel. I do appreciate how it takes us back to a place where melody and hooky songwriting were important. They often employ a punk urgency even when strumming chords with more melodic intentions, and allow the vocals to fall into a more relaxed juxtaposition with the urgent energy possessing the guitars. 

 They drift further into indie rock on songs like "Bell Penny" as things slow to a steady contemplative strum. "Diamond" moves more like the brand of "emo" that evolved from poppier strains of punk. The syncopation of "From Now to Now" is a little more interesting as it makes the vocals fall differently. The accents are jagged, feel subtly more aggressive without racing off into a frantic punk exploion, though it does build into a more screamo section. "Nothing Certain" is pretty effective; the bass makes things heavier, but there is little in the way of metal influence, though it does head in a more brooding direction. 

There is a more rock groove to "Shelly". that reminds me a little of Quicksand. "On the Wind" is more of a ballad. This band's bass player is really on point when it comes to laying a solid foundation for the song. It creates almost a late '90s feel here. There is more of a lurking tension to the last song that finds the mood getting darker and heavier, but more intensely, think Tool rather than metal in this regard. It makes sense as the song is called "Snake Dreams," so it should have a more winding slither. I will give this album a 9, if you are a fan of late 90s post-hardcore, then this deserves a listen. 

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