* En anglais uniquement
Artsy Seattle post-hardcore act
These Arms Are Snakes mixes the urgency and aggressive vocal style of punk with the exploded song structures and technical complexity of the original wave of math rock bands. This fusion is a logical progression from the bandmembers' former projects: singer
Steve Snere was formerly of the Minneapolis-to-Seattle emo transplants
Kill Sadie, while bassist, singer, and keyboardist
Brian Cook was formerly in long-running math rockers
Botch. (Scene incest note: other former members of
Botch and
Kill Sadie, guitarist
David Knudson and bassist Cory Murchy respectively, formed another Seattle post-hardcore act,
Minus the Bear, whose drummer,
Erin Tate, was in both
Kill Sadie and one lineup of
These Arms Are Snakes. A Pete Frame-style family tree among all these bands would probably induce a nagging headache.)
Snere,
Cook, guitarist
Ryan Frederiksen, keyboardist Jesse Robertson, and drummer Joe Preston released their first EP,
This Is Meant to Hurt You, on Jade Tree Records in August 2003. With
Tate replacing Preston and with Robertson out of the band,
These Arms Are Snakes released their debut full-length,
Oxeneers or The Lion Sleeps When Its Antelope Go Home, in September 2004. Their second full-length album,
Easter, followed in the fall of 2006, with new producer
Chris Common also taking over the drum throne from
Ben Verellen (of
Roy and
Harkonen fame). Over the next two years, the quartet toured with like-minded groups
Pelican,
Mastodon,
Hot Water Music, and
the Blood Brothers before releasing their third album
Tail Swallower and Dove on Suicide Squeeze records in October of 2008. ~ Stewart Mason