St Pierre Snake Invasion - A Hundred Years A Day
Formed back in 2010 and with two EPs already behind them, St Pierre Snake Invasion released their debut album to an already awaiting crowd of fans. Infusing elements of Post Hardcore with some Punk Rock this Bristol based five piece creates music which is in your face, aggressive yet powerful from the beginning track (Thanks But the Answers No,) to the concluding (If The Only Way Is Essex You Can Kill Me Now).
Kicking things off with Thanks But the Answers No, St Pierre Snake Invasion set the scene for the next ten tracks with an eighty second blast of fast paced guitars, crashing drums and a screech of vocal aggression. Taking things on for a bit longer, David Ickearumba adds even faster paced madness to the mix.
Jesus, Mary & Joseph Talbot is not as manic as some tunes, but certainly has a kick in its step. The Great Procrastinator is quite similar with more of a bounce in its step that may even encourage some hand clapping and toe tapping.
In contrast to the fast paced tunes things are taken down a little on tracks such as When I see A Sycophant Fly. Although remaining very stretched out at nearly five minutes long, it is almost like being pulled along on a piece of elastic, then are times it quickly snaps back into a quicker motion with a few fast paced infusions within the chorus.
Sex Dungeons & Dragons combines raw thundering with some mellower tones. It is a combination of slow drumming and low paced vocals then kicks out with some more energy driven moments. Vocals go from spoken lyrics to a few melodies through to screaming, all in the space of under five minutes.
There are some fairly short snippets of tunes on this release. Rock N Roll Workshops is quite catchy, introduces some accompanying vocals in the background chanting along while a listener is pulled in to want to shout along - but it is over before your eyes. The 41 seconds of A Red Rag to a Bull are rough, chaotic and a frenzy of elements.
Lead vocalist Damian has such a vocal range present on this record. From hysterical shrieks on Refauxlution to the calmer more spoken lyrics on When I see A Sycophant Fly or the flipping back and forth between the two such as on the album’s title track. Whether he is screeching, singing or whispering there is always passion present and that vocal ambiance spills over into the music. Although this style of music may not be for everyone, there has certainly been a well created debut album from St Pierre Snake Invasion.