The ChariotA squeal of feedback is all it takes to begin The Chariot's fourth album, 'Long Live,' which quickly turns into the crunch of guitars and the pounding of drums. Basically the audio equivalent of having your head bashed against a wall with vocalist Josh Scogin screaming “Disappointed, I know you are,” repeatedly in your ear. It doesn't hang around for long, at only thirty minutes, but what The Chariot will give you is ten short bursts of mayhem and brilliance.
The Audience, the second track on the record, begins with lo-fi screams and drums before opening up to sporadic guitars and a Chariot-style groove to end the song. Calvin Makenzie plays a game of ping pong with itself before breaking for a small salsa inspired bridge, purging ahead with a driving beat. One of the album highlights is The City, with its bright and often stutter styled guitar riffs and dirty bass tones, the song chops and changes, keeping you on your toes.
Scogin's vocals are the only constant line in The Earth, as the rest of the band burst in and out doing pretty much whatever they feel like at the beginning of the song, which changes pace for a dark breakdown. The “single”, if that is possible with this band, or at least the song they made a clip for, is David De La Hoz, and features a hillbilly poem in the form of a religious preach, something that would be considered weird if this were any other band.
The record ends with the chaotic but charging Robert Rios, and the longest track on the record thanks to its drum solo mid section, The King. As with all other Chariot albums, Matt Goldman (Underoath, Oceana) was in the production chair opting once again to record to analog tape to help capture the band's well known live feel.
The Chariot are by no means a band for everyone, they are a challenge, but if it is possible for you to figure out what they are about, then the rewards are great.
1. Evan Perks
2. The Audience
3. Calvin Makenzie
4. The City
5. Andy Sundwall
6. The Earth
7. David De La Hoz
8. The Heavens
9. Robert Rios
10. The King
