CHRISSAKES

They’re in small pockets - a few stalwart kids in Athens, one house in Atlanta that I’m aware of, a few sleepy rock towns in North Carolina - but the remnants of the scenes that screamed bloody murder in the '90s remain, however few and far between. Chrissakes is an example of the enduring tradition of bands that want it all: the scrape and grind of Chicago post-punk, the ominous lurch of metal, the white-knuckle effect of blown-out psych, and the uncomfortable personal touch of what was “emo” before it became what “emo” is called today. And the band members' status as aspiring torch-bearers is sort of funny when you consider that most of these kids are, well, a hell of a lot younger than they sound.

And it’s even funnier to consider the fact that despite their youth, they definitely bear the mark of “scene vets”: Drew Smith has done more than his share of time in the Athens house show scene in bands like Life Is a Fight and (in)famous libido-themed screamo band Love Potion Number Nine. After years behind the drums, he has effectively taken on the role of guitarist, as evidenced by the badass guitar solo on the MySpace jam “Granby.” (More recently, he’s been surfing dronescape oceans with highly-recommended-enjoying-highly solo project Chartreuse.) Rob Thomason has been effectively sneaking into clubs in Athens since his high school days, and after a brief crash course in self-taught drum pummeling, is playing - to quote Cinemechanica’s Mike Albanese - “with authority.” Bassist Helen Rhinehart has the kind of tone that sounds like everything on the amp turned completely to 10, but that’s just because that’s exactly what she does.

After recording with local producer Joel Hatstat, Chrissakes is set to release a split LP with an as-of-yet undisclosed band and, presumably, continue thrashing apart houses and clubs alike.

Jeff Tobias - Flagpole