Unteachers, Grace, and Thieves is a relatively new hardcore side project founded by Tantrum of the Muse’s Stephen Mark Sarro (guitar, vocals). If you appreciate the hardcore punk sound of The Melvins flavored with 70’s King Crimson art- rock accents, then you might choose to glance at the music of Unteachers.
Sarro describes his music as emotionally twisted, and in “Fear of Silence,” we can see just how far he twists the sound, highlighting it with dreadful screams. “Fill this Place with Blood” starts off with a scratchy drone riff, then stirs up the aggression with violent drums, bass, and distorted wails. The piece is quite sick, yet there is an underlying charm to it. The beginning of next track is a little less impressive; the melody is a bit monotonous, and the screeching vocals just seem out of place. It seems that Sarro has adopted a policy of “where it lands, that’s where it stays” in terms of vocal work. There’s not much structure to any of it. However, the middle of the piece is a bit more attractive to me. Sarro decides to go “instrumental” for a minute, churning out darker, cleaner riffs.
I believe Sarro’s new project has a lot of potential. Although I wish there had been a bit more consistency in the sound (he also needs to hire another vocalist), I do feel that Sarro has an incredible way with his guitar. He really strives to push the envelop with his composition, and that is always an excellent aspect of new music!
Rating: 7/10
Written by Kris Tilbury
Tracklist:
1. Unteachers – Fear of Silence 02:33
2. Unteachers – Fill This Place With Blood 02:47
3. Grace & Thieves – The Wastelands 04:48
Unteachers line up:
Stephen Mark Sarro – Vocals, Guitar, Etc.
Travis Turner – Drums, Percussion, Etc.
Josh Kale – Bass
Grace & Thieves line up:
Justin Riley -Bass/Vox/Lyrix
Jesse Parks – Guitar/Vox/Lyrix
Mickey Widmer – Drums/BVs/Lyrix
Record Label: Veritas Vinyl, July 2012
Weblinks: Bandcamp / Unteachers FB / Grace & Thieves FB