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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These Dead Streets
A Wilhelm Scream Lyrics
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To corporate restaurants, corporate food
Mama and Papa got liquor and gun stores
Torching this city down
I had a thought and I lost it
It was a monument, decent and pure
Took out a razor and made my own Picasso
I made it far, to the bleeding of your heart's remains
To the point I care about your lies
When the mayor owns a pizza chain
And we're sick of moving, we decide
I'm gonna wreck this and like a snake sticks to its hole
He won't come out 'till the sun soaks up these dead streets
On the way back from the mountains
Stopped by the cemetery, drank to our youth
Thought of our ages and stopped it
We blame our diets on changes in mood
We made it far, to the bleeding of your heart's remains
To the point I care about your lies
When the mayor owns a pizza chain
And we're sick of moving, we decide
I'm gonna wreck this and like a snake sticks to its hole
He won't come out 'till the sun heats up these dead streets
And I know we're gonna make it 'cause your heart's in your intentions
You and me, we will resurrect these dead streets
You and me, we will resurrect these dead streets
We went away to the mountains
We only stayed for a night
The song "These Dead Streets" by A Wilhelm Scream is a song about a group of people who are tired of the corporate world, and the lack of personal freedom that comes with it. They escape to the mountains to get away from the corporate restaurants and food, but find themselves in a world of liquor and gun stores. The singer had a thought but lost it, and now he's left feeling lost and hopeless. He takes out a razor and creates his own Picasso, a reference to how he's carving his own path in life. He wants someone to hold him when he's ready to move on.
The song also talks about the struggle to maintain personal freedom in a world that's owned by corporations. The mayor owns a pizza chain, and the group is tired of moving around due to the constant changes in the corporate world. They decide to take matters into their own hands and "wreck this," and make a difference in the world. They know it won't be easy, but they're determined to succeed.
One of the interesting things about this song is that it was released as a single in 2007, but then re-recorded for the album "Career Suicide" in 2007 with a slightly different sound. The song features heavy punk rock influences, with fast-paced guitar riffs and aggressive drumming. The song has become a popular track among fans of punk rock and hardcore music.
Line by Line Meaning
We went away to the mountains
We sought refuge in the mountains, away from the troubles of our urban lives
To corporate restaurants, corporate food
However, even there, we couldn't escape the influence of the corporate culture as we were forced to eat at chain restaurants
Mama and Papa got liquor and gun stores
Our parents came back with liquor and guns, perhaps as a response to the violence and hopelessness of urban life
Torching this city down
We felt the need to rebel against the urban life, even if it meant causing destruction and chaos
I had a thought and I lost it
I had a fleeting moment of inspiration, but it quickly slipped away
It was a monument, decent and pure
That moment of inspiration held the potential for something great and pure
Took out a razor and made my own Picasso
In an effort to recapture that feeling, I resorted to cutting myself, perhaps as a form of artistic expression
Hold me when I'm ready now
I need someone to support me and help me cope with the turmoil and uncertainty in my life
I made it far, to the bleeding of your heart's remains
Despite the pain and heartbreak around us, we've managed to keep going
To the point I care about your lies
I've become invested enough in you and our relationship that your lies hurt me deeply
When the mayor owns a pizza chain
It's ironic and frustrating that the person in charge of our city's well-being is more focused on profit and success than actually helping the people
And we're sick of moving, we decide
We're tired of constantly running away from our problems, so we've made a decision to take a stand and face them head-on
I'm gonna wreck this and like a snake sticks to its hole
I'm going to cause chaos and destruction, but I won't stop until I achieve my goal
He won't come out 'till the sun soaks up these dead streets
The person in power won't show themselves until the city is once again thriving and alive
On the way back from the mountains
As we returned from our temporary escape, we had time to reflect on our experiences
Stopped by the cemetery, drank to our youth
We visited a cemetery and reminisced about our past, perhaps mourning the loss of our innocence and carefree days
Thought of our ages and stopped it
We realized that we're not getting any younger and need to start making changes before it's too late
We blame our diets on changes in mood
We've come up with excuses for why we feel depressed and unhappy, instead of acknowledging the deeper issues at play
And I know we're gonna make it 'cause your heart's in your intentions
I'm confident that we'll succeed because you have good intentions and a strong heart
You and me, we will resurrect these dead streets
Together, we'll bring this city back to life and create a better future for ourselves and others
We only stayed for a night
Our brief trip to the mountains may have provided some temporary relief, but we knew we couldn't stay there forever
Contributed by Mateo L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.