These Arms Are Snakes -- Easter

7/10

If the ecstatic praise from my circles for These Arms Are Snakes' debut album was loud, the praise for their second album, 2006's Easter, reached fever pitch levels. I didn't realize a lot of the praise the band was garnering was built on top of work its members previously did in the bands Botch and Kill Sadie. Despite those two bands accolades, I was never really able to get into them. Maybe that also explains why, try as I might, I've never been able to hear greatness in Easter. It's good, though...just...not great.
These Arms Are Snakes follow a certain formula throughout Easter, and hammer it into the ground. Start with big, note-filled hard rock/alt-metal riff. Continue playing that riff, maybe chill out during the verse or chorus, or maybe play the riff a little differently. Vocalist shout-speaks seemingly nonsensical lyrics. Bassist and drummer show obvious talent, but generally find themselves playing the same, if complex parts repetitiously. Talent is hugely on display, but the songs almost all feel like rounds.
Some songs are obvious standouts. "Subtle Body" is a ride, a bunch of interesting shifts, with a ton of space. I often find throughout this album that space is what's missing: with all the repeating parts, things can get tiring. When the band inject space into tracks like "Subtle Body" or "Crazy Woman Dirty Train," those songs bursts of noise become relieving moments of catharsis, instead of tiring. Just about all of Easter's songs sound huge, thanks to the talent of the musicians, and good use of keyboards, but it just gets monotonous a few too many times.
Easter is apparently titled ironically, as the band, after touring with Underoath, apparently wanted to rebel against the Christianity that was permeating the heavy music scene. Of course, sense simple research shows These Arms Are Snakes had only minimal contact with Underoath on that tour (for better or worse), there aren't any deep thoughts about religion in music. In fact, outside of "Perpetual Bris" and the statement that "You might say God's got it in for us/but I'm not sure he's around/or anywhere to be found around,"found in "Corporeal" there's not much talk of religion at all. Instead, there's a bunch of rambling that, like the lyrics on the band's previous album, conjures more of a vibe than anything. This time, it's the vibe of a decaying western town, but that's it, just a vibe. I've dived deep into these lyrics over the years, and only come up with handfuls of sand.
In the end, that's actually the best metaphor I can find for my experience with These Arms Are Snakes' Easter. For me, it's like diving into a brilliant, but empty blue sea, feeling the exhilaration of deep water streaming past, but then finding nothing at the bottom, then experiencing the monotony of rising back up through the empty blue until I surface. I wish I could find something more.


2006 Jade Tree Records
1. Mescaline Eyes 4:50
2. Horse Girl 3:07
3. Subtle Body 6:03
4. Desert Ghost 2:18
5. Child Chicken Play 3:14
6. Hell's Bank Notes 0:46
7. Abracadabraca 4:15
8. Deer Lodge 2:54
9. Lady North 3:58
10. Perpetual Bris 2:17
11. Coporeal 6:52
12. Crazy Woman Dirty Train 5:46