The pAper chAse stray dangerously close to noise but circle back to melody just before dissonant piano chops and screeching guitar take over. Some hardcore fans of this Dallas four-piece came to the front of the tent at the Bitch Magazine/Kill Rock Stars party to head bang and sing along, but any fan of Cursive or At the Drive-In could appreciate the ominous and haunting sound of the pAper chAse's often violent and unsettling songs.
John Congleton's lead vocals were emotive, dark, and clear, but his occasionally melodramatic stage antics (dead-eyed, penetrating stares, pointing into the crowd) might have been more effective in a club show rather than on a patio stage on a sunny Texas day. Nevertheless, the band's intensity has an undeniable appeal, shredding drums and bass make the songs cohesive, and the band's passion draws you in. If there were a genre of emo-metal, the pAper chAse would be carrying its banner, or, alternatively, ripping it to shreds and burning it in a graveyard.
