Early years (1992 - 2000)
In 1993, drummer Trevor Reilly, guitarist John Carvalho and bassist Jonathan Teves formed the band Adam's Crack and recorded a Nirvana-inspired demo cassette. In 1994 Reilly and Carvalho started a side band with Nuno Pereira on vocals, and others. The side band played one show before disbanding. Members from the two bands would merge into one, taking the name Koen. The lineup of Koen consisted of Pereira (vocals), Reilly (drums), Teves (bass), Carvalho (rhythm guitar) and friend Mat Demelo (lead guitar and trumpet). Under the name Koen, the band released one cassette titled "The Big Fall...", this time with their sound evolving more into skate punk and ska. In 1997, the band changed its name again, this time to Smackin' Isaiah, and released a cassette titled "Give Girls More Beer...". Mat Demelo left the band shortly after. During this time, Reilly would switch between drumming and guitar duties, with an unknown drummer playing in the band for a brief amount of time. Nicholas Angelini was eventually tapped to play drums on a permanent basis. In 1998, the band released another demo cassette, titled "Gets Eaten Alive".
Tank Records era (2000 - 2001)
The band's first CD release was on Tank Records, a record label created by Carvalho and Teves. The CD was a split release with the bands Moronique and Merrick, entitled "6:6:6" after the number of tracks each band contributed. Soon after, the band released its debut album, "The Way to a Girl's Heart Is Through Her Boyfriend's Stomach". The band considers this their first "real" release, as all the songs had been written after Angelini joined the band. In retrospect, they consider it their most cheerful record. It was reissued the following year on All About Records, but the band stayed with Tank Records to release its second album, "Benefits Of Thinking Out Loud. During the album's recording, the band members had a strained relationship as they argued over its production. Six outtakes from the album's recording sessions were compiled onto an EP entitled "The Champagne of Bands... We Know Sexy" released by Fork in Hand Records. Following its release, Carvalho left the band. Christopher Levesque quickly replaced him.
Final name change and move to Nitro (2002 - present)
With the band moving to a more serious style with Benefits, they decided to once more change their name, finally settling on A Wilhelm Scream. Signing with new label Jump Start Records, they re-released "Benefits of Thinking Out Loud" under their new name. After touring the United States and Canada a few times, they then began recording their next album, "Mute Print", with Jump Start Records. For the recording of the album, the band decided to put "as much shit as you can possibly fit into a song and pull off live" into the songs, to which they attribute their faster, more aggressive and more technical sound. The album was produced by Bill Stevenson and Jason Livermore, whom the band looked up to. Although the album was finished while the band was signed to Jump Start Records, the rights to the album were then bought by Nitro Records, who released it in 2004.
Only a year after "Mute Print", the band released a second record on Nitro Records, again produced by Stevenson and Livermore. The record, entitled "Ruiner", was released on August 16, 2005. Following stress from touring, founding member Jonathan Teves left the band, and was replaced by bassist Curtiss Lopez. They then embarked on their first European tour with Lagwagon, and also toured with Less than Jake. Midway through the latter tour, Lopez abruptly quit the band. This left A Wilhelm Scream without a permanent bassist until Brian J. Robinson joined in April. The band continued to tour throughout 2006. They also released an 7-inch Extended play titled "Diver" on Jump Start Records. This was because the title track was recorded during the "Mute Print" sessions, but left off the album, and thus was not purchased by Nitro Records.
In 2007, the band returned to the studio with Stevenson and Livermore to record their third album with Nitro Records. The record, according to the band, was "very, very fast" and a few songs were dropped for not being fast enough. The record, "Career Suicide", was released on October 9, 2007. However, only two weeks before its street date, long-time guitarist Chris Levesque announced that he was leaving the band, elaborating with the following statement:
"I have maintained for the duration of my time in Smackin' Isaiah/A Wilhelm Scream that when it stopped being fun, I would give it up. The bottom line here is that I just don't enjoy the day-in, day-out grind of being on tour anymore.... There are no personal or creative differences between any of us. None of that bullshit. I still love this band and everything it stands for. The six years that I've spent in SI/AWS have been the best of my life. We've accomplished more than I ever expected, and I take with me with more amazing memories than most people experience in a lifetime."
The band began their tour in support of "Career Suicide" with several rotating guitarists, before Mike Supina, formerly of the Detroit-based band Alucard, was announced as Levesque's permanent replacement. The tour brought the band to over eighteen different countries, finishing in September 2008. Following its conclusion, guitarist Trevor Reilly announced in his blog that the band would take a break for the rest of the year, but implied that they would write new songs soon.
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Career Suicide
A Wilhelm Scream Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Will you jump with me through the fire?
In these dark places
Evil hosts pad their savings, spent on younger faces
It kills me to act surprised
So why don't you just say no?
If you're mad at the world, no matter
Jump, motherfucker, jump
Will you burn with me on the pyre?
When the fires have died, you gotta lengthen your stride
You better run, motherfucker, run
It kills me to act surprised
So why don't you just say no?
If you're mad at the world, no matter
As my fake heart concedes to your fake love
The song “Career Suicide” is a fast-paced and emotionally poignant track by punk rock band A Wilhelm Scream. The lyrics of the song seem to be about someone who is struggling to deal with the challenges of life and the world around them. The opening lines of the song, “Run, motherfucker, run/ Will you jump with me through the fire?” suggest that the person is running away from something, perhaps their problems, and hoping that someone will come with them on this journey. The “fire” that is mentioned could be a metaphor for the difficulties or challenges that they face in their life.
The pre-chorus of the song, “It kills me to act surprised/ So why don't you just say no?” seems to be talking about the insincerity or dishonesty of the people around them. They may feel that others are not being truthful or upfront with them, and this is frustrating and hurtful. The chorus of the song, “Jump, motherfucker, jump/ Will you burn with me on the pyre?/ When the fires have died, you gotta lengthen your stride/ You better run, motherfucker, run” seems to be an encouragement to face their problems head-on, rather than running away from them. The metaphorical “pyre” could represent the difficulties that they need to overcome.
In the final lines of the song, “If you're mad at the world, no matter/ As my fake heart concedes to your fake love,” it seems that the person is grappling with the reality that the world can be cruel and people can be disingenuous. They may be struggling to find genuine connections and love in a world that can often be cold and unforgiving.
Line by Line Meaning
Run, motherfucker, run
Escape from this desperate situation as fast as possible
Will you jump with me through the fire?
Take the risk of facing the consequences of our actions together
In these dark places
Refers to the bleak circumstances in life
Evil hosts pad their savings, spent on younger faces
Corrupt people accumulate wealth by exploiting the vulnerable
It kills me to act surprised
Being shocked in this situation is pointless
So why don't you just say no?
Refusing to participate in bad decisions will avoid worse consequences
If you're mad at the world, no matter
Feeling angry or disillusioned with life is understandable
As my fake heart concedes to your fake love
Both parties are insincere and manipulative in their relationship
Jump, motherfucker, jump
Taking the courageous step towards risky choices
Will you burn with me on the pyre?
Shared sacrifice for the sake of personal beliefs
When the fires have died, you gotta lengthen your stride
After weathering turbulence, continue to push forward
You better run, motherfucker, run
Urges to escape danger as quickly as possible
Contributed by Sydney G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.