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Seattle’s These Arms Are Snakes has been confounding audiences with their unique brand of melodic yet blistering hardcore since 2003. Following two EP’s and a 2004 debut full length on Jade Tree, These Arms Are Snakes, comprised of Steve Snere (vocals), Brian Cook (bass, keyboards), Ryan Frederiksen (guitar), and Chris Common (drums), have stepped out of the shadows of the “ex-members of” tag and into a revered position in the independent music scene of the Pacific Northwest, recently being voted Punk/Hardcore band of 2006 by Seattle Weekly Magazine. Constant touring alongside well known acts such as Minus The Bear, Isis, The Blood Brothers, Pelican, Big Business, and Oxes has allowed These Arms Are Snakes to intermediate between a variety of concisely divided scenes, blurring the lines between screamo, math core, and noise- inspired prog rock.
Recorded at Red Room Recording in Seattle, the sound and subjects explored on “Easter” find the band towing a proverbial line between paradox, hostility, and a caustic blend of post-hard/math core. Retaining the definitive tension and angular force of earlier These Arms Are Snakes efforts, Easter explores the relationship between suspect animism, impending otherwordly doom, and the ethereal battle between virtue and ruin. Thematically, “Easter” is a journey through the unspoken sides of humanity. “There is a real sense of doom amongst people these days. It’s very hard for that not to come out,” says TAAS vocalist Steve Snere.
To supplement the underlying themes of ’Easter,’ TAAS guitarist Ryan Frederiksen designed the layout based on a stream of conscious process, utilizing Snere’s lyrics as a focal point. Augmented by illustrations from bassist Brian Cook and Demian Johnston, along with landscape photography from Robin Lannenan, the aesthetic appearance of Easter creates “A cross between the quiet and serene and the loud and manic,” says Snere.
The end result of this multi-faceted thematic study through human trial and error is an “Easter” unlike anything embraced by children in shopping malls and churches across America. This is a far more dismal interpretation; unformulated, brooding and corrupt. It is ”Easter” as interpreted by These Arms Are Snakes, and there’s nothing happy about it.
These Arms Are Snakes use Dean Markley’s BlueSteel
Electric LTHB & REG, and Blue
Steel Bass MED & ML
Brian reflects the bands feelings
about Dean’s strings:
Dean Markley bass strings are very consistent. I’ve had
nightmarish experiences with other brands breaking early on or
going dead after a small amount of playing. The Deans always
hold up both sonically and structurally.
Be sure to visit the These Arms Are Snakes website at:
www.TheseArmsAreSnakes.org.
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