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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Jaws 3 People 0
A Wilhelm Scream Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't test the captain's validity or his vulnerability.
I've seen the necks unnaturally twisted, craned to stars in the sky.
I've felt the chill upend the happiness of idiots in minutes;
they clutch their jewelry tight and say "How lucky am I!"
And like a drunk spills boons on his varsity letter,
can we forgive a ship of fools for what they don't know better?
I guess not. "Man I hope he'll piss himself." Analyze this room.
Man I hope he shits himself
when the rest of the shipwrecked long drowned in their graves
make a claim on the souls of the heartless fakes.
"Please help, my party flew away with the ocean mist.
I narrowly escaped to the roof."
But when the Night Rangers found me (dead, but for my liver)
and said "Don't tell me you love me", abhorrent and deliberate.
How we ruined the day's remains. Sinful.
A hero's humility is a foolish amenity.
Cups of coffee speed the heartbeats of the soonest to die.
I saw the first blood in the water, someone's mother or daughter.
I wait for troutman; Give me clearance for this chopper to fly.
Because they were jumping off the backs of the only sons,
offering up light snacks of younger ones.
"Well, how fast could our legs run?"
Let's get the fuck out of here.
The weak are screaming for the captain but the captain ain't here.
How we ruined the day's remains. Sinful.
The bodies splashed like paint.
To see so many scattered cockroaches running from the light.
Oh, when i saw them floating out to the river,
the cold inside my stomach was a hunger to me.
And if the devil makes a mess of all the raw meat, let him be.
Oh how my captain sailed it straight up the middle,
but the crooked lines are quicker when you're snorting them in.
Because if the devil's at your door you leave it open.
Let him in.
The lyrics to A Wilhelm Scream's "Jaws 3 People 0" are filled with graphic and visceral imagery that evoke a sense of danger and chaos. The first lines of the song, "Let's get the fuck out of here!" set the tone for what's to come. Of course, the listener doesn't know what "here" is just yet, but it's clear that something is wrong and everyone needs to leave immediately. The next lines, "Don't test the captain's validity or his vulnerability," suggests that there's a leadership crisis happening on a ship or boat, and the captain's authority is being challenged.
The next few lines are perhaps the most gruesome and disturbing in the entire song. The singer describes seeing "necks unnaturally twisted, craned to stars in the sky," which implies that someone has died in a horrific way. The line "they clutch their jewelry tight and say 'How lucky am I!'" is a chilling juxtaposition between the horror of death and the mundanity of material possessions. The singer's question "can we forgive a ship of fools for what they don't know better?" suggests that the people on the ship are idiots who are too naive to understand the risks they're taking.
As the song goes on, more gruesome imagery is introduced. The line "I saw the first blood in the water, someone's mother or daughter," implies that someone has been attacked by a shark. The line "the bodies splashed like paint" is a haunting image that reinforces the violent and chaotic nature of what's happening. Ultimately, the song is a chaotic and nightmarish vision of death and destruction.
Line by Line Meaning
Let's get the fuck out of here!
Let's leave this place immediately!
Don't test the captain's validity or his vulnerability.
Do not doubt the captain's strength or weaknesses.
I've seen the necks unnaturally twisted, craned to stars in the sky.
I have witnessed people's necks twisted in an unusual way as they looked up at the stars.
I've felt the chill upend the happiness of idiots in minutes;
they clutch their jewelry tight and say "How lucky am I!"
I have experienced a sudden shift in mood that ruined the joy of foolish people within minutes. They hold onto their possessions and say, 'How lucky am I!'
And like a drunk spills boons on his varsity letter,
can we forgive a ship of fools for what they don't know better?
I guess not.
Just as a drunk might spill nonsense on his letter jacket, can we forgive ignorant people who should know better? Probably not.
"Man I hope he'll piss himself." Analyze this room.
I hope someone gets scared enough to pee their pants. Look around the room for potential candidates.
Grab that mop and broom and clean it up.
Pick up the mop and broom and start cleaning.
Man I hope he shits himself
when the rest of the shipwrecked long drowned in their graves
make a claim on the souls of the heartless fakes.
I wish someone would be so frightened that they defecate, especially when the souls of the heartless fakes are claimed by the long-dead shipwrecked.
"Please help, my party flew away with the ocean mist.
I narrowly escaped to the roof."
But when the Night Rangers found me (dead, but for my liver)
and said "Don't tell me you love me", abhorrent and deliberate.
"Please help, my friends disappeared into the mist. I managed to escape to the roof." However, the Night Rangers found me later, barely alive, and made an awful comment.
How we ruined the day's remains. Sinful.
We have destroyed what was left of the day. It is wrong.
A hero's humility is a foolish amenity.
A heroic person being humble is not necessary, but rather foolish.
Cups of coffee speed the heartbeats of the soonest to die.
Drinking coffee quickens the heartbeats of those who will soon die.
I saw the first blood in the water, someone's mother or daughter.
I saw the first sign of danger - blood in the water, that of someone's mother or daughter.
I wait for troutman; Give me clearance for this chopper to fly.
I am waiting for Troutman. Allow me to fly this helicopter.
Because they were jumping off the backs of the only sons,
offering up light snacks of younger ones.
"Well, how fast could our legs run?"
People were leaping off of the only sons and sacrificing the younger ones as bait. They ask, 'How fast can we run?'
The weak are screaming for the captain but the captain ain't here.
Weak people are calling for the captain's help, but the captain is unavailable.
The bodies splashed like paint.
The bodies made a loud and messy splashing noise, like paint being thrown.
To see so many scattered cockroaches running from the light.
It is unsettling to see so many cockroaches running away from the light.
Oh, when i saw them floating out to the river,
the cold inside my stomach was a hunger to me.
When I saw them floating away down the river, I felt a cold, empty hunger in my stomach.
And if the devil makes a mess of all the raw meat, let him be.
If the devil causes chaos, let him be.
Oh how my captain sailed it straight up the middle,
but the crooked lines are quicker when you're snorting them in.
My captain sailed straight ahead, but the crooked ways are faster when you take shortcuts through them.
Because if the devil's at your door you leave it open.
Let him in.
If the devil is knocking at your door, you leave it open for him. Let him come in.
Contributed by Chloe H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.