It’s not every day that a post-hardcore band morphs into a cinematic western orchestra, but here we are. Astral Pariah is a concept album about a man who seeks vengeance, eventually killing off his entire family (and, per the last track’s title, himself as well). All of this takes place in the musical context of bluesy, verging-on-country-flavored rock. But rest assured, there’s still a bit of grit here musically as well. This is such an odd convalescence of themes and sonic textures, but Trophy Scars pulls it off to almost comedic effect.
“Mother” was released as a single, and it quickly sets the tone. Rhodes-styled keys provide a bluesy base, female guest vocals help balance out Jerry Jones’ rasp and augment the narrative, and twangy guitar adds a desert feel to the mix. It’s a new iteration of Trophy Scars that reminds me much more of Hotel of the Laughing Tree than Thrice. Rest assured, this is high praise.
The tracks that follow incorporate different proportions of many of these elements—the title track is cosmically-cinematic, “Father (Part 1)” is fast and fiddle-driven, and “Pestilent Star” is a full-band jam of sorts. Nine songs, with two under two minutes, might feel tragically short in some respects, but even despite a bit of a brief runtime, it’s still immersive.
Lyrically, it’s interesting to see how each character reacts to his or her impending demise—they taunt the protagonist, suggesting he’s not really a man at all and doesn’t have what it takes to carry out his crime. At times, they want him to succeed in some warped coming-of-age way. It’s not entirely clear why he’s going down this path as we’re thrown into the story in medias res, but the band has noted this is part of a larger story, and we might see more on this down the road. But even in the midst of what we can see clearly, it’s an odd scenario; love, guilt, and identity are all intertwined in a complicated way. What defines us, is it our bloodlines and upbringings? Or can we quite literally kill the family tree and start again?
Ultimately, Astral Pariah is an impressive record that manages to reinvent Trophy Scars with a distinct flavor that is largely uncontested. There aren’t nearly enough bands with a more straightforward blues component, let alone ones that dare toy with the guilty-pleasure elements of country. And while at its core, Astral Pariah is a rock album, individual tracks manage to subvert this label. “Father (Part 1)” may well be one of the grittiest alt-country tracks of the year. Pair in a seamless nature and overarching narrative, and the result is most definitely worthy.
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