- So its here, the long, long awaited new
band from Walter Schrifels. The singer-guitraist made his mark first with the seminal
hardcore band Gorilla Biscuits. He would later lay the blue prints for the post hardcore movement with Quicksand, an outfit that turned normal conventions of punk inside out and spawned a legion of emulators. People are infatuated with Schrifels, he’s probably one of hardcores only celebrities. His first group after Quicksand, Worlds Fastest Car, played a few shows, toured Japan and vanished, only further adding to the mystery. A few revamped Worlds Fastes Car songs made it onto "United By Fate". Rival Schools rounds out with Sammy (Youth of Today) on drums, Ian Love (Burn, Die 116) on second guitar and bassist Cache Tolman from the experimental noisecore outfit, Iceburn. This record is everything these four musicians have accomplished before in a new package. If you’re looking for the third Quicksand album you will be disapointed but Rival Schools still punch out some serious snob rock. Its always nice to hear a record from a few guys who really know what they’re doing in the studio. Theres a few songs on here that sound like The Who, a few that sound like Weezer and a few originals. There are a few undeniable, unforgettable haunting Schrifels melodies. I’m not sure if people will judge this record on the merit of the people involved or because its honestly a great record, thats for you
decide.
