You Can Be My Wave

After a successful and lively reunion tour as The Blood Brothers, there was a budding desire to carry that momentum into the studio and make new music. Yet, not everyone was on board, namely Jordan Blilie, who was an integral contributor to The Blood Brothers' signature dual vocal assault. Without him, the remaining members couldn't feasibly continue on as The Blood Brothers. So, vocalist Johnny Whitney, guitarist Cody Votolato, and drummer Mark Gajadhar formed a new band called Evil Island; recruiting bassist Autry René Fulbright II (formerly of OFF! and Trail of Dead) and later, guitarist Todd Weinstock (formerly of Glassjaw) to round out the lineup.

For those disappointed that we're not seeing a studio album return from The Blood Brothers, I think fans will be pleased to hear that Evil Island is very much continuing in the same tradition. Stylistically, the band maintains their very kooky, disheveled, and playfully macabre take on post-hardcore. Votolato's guitar work is instantly recognizable not only thanks to the single-coil twang, but also from its lively, unkempt, and unpredictable character. Even Whitney, who hasn't sung in any sort of extended capacity for nearly ten years prior to The Blood Brothers reunion tour, continues to nail the ultra-fried screams and shrill vocal acrobatics as if he were still in his twenties. In fact, the Evil Island debut may contain some of his most feral and theatrical vocal performances yet. One last important connection bridging The Blood Brothers with this new project is the band's decision to work with producer Ross Robinson. Having previously worked on their 2003 album ...Burn, Piano Island, Burn, Robinson was more than capable of steering the ship in that same sonic direction.

As a result, Terraform the Afterlife has a number of really great tracks, many of which kick off this record. Melted Heart is an absolute hardcore punk rager with some kooky, Violent Femmes-esque verses and searing choruses. Sleigh Bells' Alexis Krauss makes a guest appearance on vocals with a demented cheerleader performance. The band goes in a much meaner direction with Terminatrix; a track that reminds me of the scuzzy, sadistic noise a band like Squid Pisser would conjure. True to the band's name, Whitney's vocals are supremely evil as he gets off on death and destruction.

The band eases off your neck just a touch for the two lead singles, Animal and Tiger Baby. Not only do these tracks relent a touch on the sense of danger, but they have a far campier and theatrical vibe, especially when it comes to Whitney's performances. Whether it's the cool swagger in Animal's verses or the villainous meltdown coming out of Tiger Baby's choruses, it really feels like Evil Island is putting on a grand spectacle.

Many more tracks ride the fine line between genuinely catchy and absurdly grotesque, which is to be expected. However, there's still some unexpected tricks up the band's sleeve. For one, we've got some more surprising vocal guests. The legendary Guy Picciotto (Rites of Spring, Fugazi, and producer of The Blood Brothers' Young Machetes) comes out of recording retirement to provide some background shouts on T-Hexx. He doesn't play a substantial part on the track, however, hearing his iconic voice for the first time since 2001 does feel like a momentous occasion. The ugly guitar noodles, scratchy string scrapes, and bionic octave effects also help make the track a fun standout. And while we didn't get new music from the Blood Brothers reunion, Jordan Blilie does appear on I Bought a Spell. In addition to being reminded of their vocal chemistry, the song induces major whiplash as it switches back and forth between thrashy chaos and pleasant sing-a-longs.

In terms of stylistic surprises, we have tracks like Grow Spikes and Moonlight Doomlight which both have uncharacteristically accessible three-chord, acoustic grazed rock inflections. If you take away the vocals, I would pin the instrumentals for a Green Day song. The latter specifically is an incredible track thanks mostly to Whitney's stunning performance. I'll admit that Whitney's vocal character can be quite overbearing at times, even to those who are used to his antics. However, I find this track in particular to have the perfect amount of showmanship and grit to complement a more instrumentally low-key moment. This is a balance that isn't always achieved on the record, Blinding Rage being an example. I'm also impressed by Whitney's ability to sing discernible notes while maintaining such a high level of distortion; particularly on the descending melodic hook.

Terraform the Afterlife has many great moments, but there's unfortunately a couple duds in the tracklist. I already mentioned Blinding Rage sticking out due to Whitney's over-performance, but I also think it has one of the weakest, most uninspired choruses of the bunch. King Death failed to impress me when it was released as a single, and in the context of the album, it remains the lowest point in terms of energy and excitement. Lastly, there's Evil Island Death Cult National Anthem which I do hold some form of appreciation for in its attempts to play up the deranged coercion and mind manipulation tactics that are associated with cult-like activity. But instrumentally, I feel like it is missing the steadfast conviction or organization to match the hyper-coordinated efforts within these movements.

Regardless of these slight missteps, Terraform the Afterlife is a very entertaining, very visceral record. I'm happy seeing Whitney, a truly enigmatic performer, back on the scene and sounding as powerful as ever. I also appreciate the instrumental variety present on the record. You've got your hardcore punk ragers, the chaotic post-hardcore, some more accessible radio-rock tunes, and of course some absurd, noisy experiments. The tracklist is difficult to pin down and always keeps you guessing, which I realize has always been in the DNA of The Blood Brothers, especially with their later works. Adjacent projects to The Blood Brothers often end up being short-lived, so I'm curious to see how far this Evil Island project will go. Of course, there's always the possibility that Jordan Blilie may develop FOMO and a new iteration of The Blood Brothers could materialize. Who's to say? At least we have this solid record to hold us over until new plans are revealed.