Four years ago Trophy Scars and their fabulous “Darkness, Oh Hell” rocked my world. Literally. That hypnotic mixture of punk fueled post-hardcore, indie-psychedelic rock, jazz, blues and funk was fresh and powerful, totally addictive.
Meanwhile they lost a little bit their punk edge, but not their intensity and “Holy Vacants” it’s an excicting and charming, throughout enjoyable album. Actually they know how to get slowly under your skin and once you get “infected”, you can’t get rid of them anymore. Must mention this, they released an album entitled “Never Born, Never Dead” in 2011, but somehow I missed that.
“Holy Vacants” is Trophy Scars’ fourth album and was two years in the making. It was also intended as their last, not because of any cataclysmic upset in the band, but because the four – Jerry Jones (vocals), John Ferrara (guitarist), Andy Farrel (bass player), Brian Ferrara (drummer) and Gray Reinhard (keys, vocals) – felt that after eight years, it had run its course.
Trophy Scars was formed by Jerry Jones (vocals), John Ferrara (guitar), and Brian Ferrara (drums) in June 2002. Originally, the band was developed as a passion project only to last the duration of that particular summer. Fortunately they kept going on and I hope that they will stay a little bit more around. In a world where most of the artists are only shadows and worthless copies and imitations of each other, bands like Trophy Scars are make me still listening to music. And “Holy Vacants” stuck in my player for days and have been running on repeat for several days.
They originally wanted to release a double (farewell) album, something in the manner of Guns”n’Roses’ “Use Your Illusion I and II”, but – as they declared, they “didn’t want to start adding songs just to make it a long record.”
So, we’ve got 12 songs and an incredible journey. Maybe it don’t strike at first, but it will charm you and become addictive. Dark blues tones and explosive riffs are all part of this film like universe they create and once you step inside this universe you will never wanna leave.
Jerry Jones in the furious moments sounds like Whitfield Crane (Ugly Kid Joe) – which is pretty cool. And the whole band it’s awesome, everything it’s in it right place.
Tracklist:
1. Extant
2. Qeres
3. Archangel
4. Crystallophobia
5. Burning Mirror
6. Hagiophobia
7. Chicago Typewriter
8. Vertigo
9. Gutted
10. Every City, Vacant
11. Everything Disappearing
12. Nyctophobia
Mandatory: buy it or steal it!
Trophy Scars – Facebook
