Forged during a frigid Burlington, Vermont winter in 2013, Screaming Skull was born with one goal in mind—recording with the incomparable Danielle Allen, a close friend of mine. While we were bandmates in Crucial Times, the experience was short lived, and we never had the chance to lay down any tracks together. With Danielle living in Providence, Rhode Island, I hoped to bridge the distance between her and I (and our friendship) by making a record together. Over the next year and a half, I enlisted the help of some of my best friends: Matt Kimball, Tom Fuller, and Tyler Daniel Bean. We wrote and recorded nine songs. Screaming Skull never had any intentions of playing live, but in October 2014, we took to the stage twice. Billed with bands like Boston’s hardcore legends Slapshot and Vermont’s own Rough Francis (featuring the sons of Detroit porto-punk band Death) was incredible and humbling. However, playing a Halloween benefit show for our dear friend Jeff Foran who was battling leukemia at the time, was the most meaningful to us all. With that, Screaming Skull was put to rest, and would lay silently dormant.

In December 2015, I relocated to Seattle, Washington. Moving across country and away from almost everyone you know can be an especially isolating experience. I found myself sitting around the apartment I shared with my brother Dan, writing music with no obvious intent. All I knew is that I wanted it to be heavier and weirder than anything I’ve ever written before. Danielle and Tom had moved to Portland, Oregon prior to my trek out West. It wasn’t long before we were talking about the possibility of playing music again. So, when Screaming Skull got accepted to record at Converse’s Rubber Tracks program, we decided it was a done deal, and we would once again record a few songs. I frequently commuted three to five hours to Portland by bus to meet up with Danielle and Tom. Together we would run through and rewrite song ideas/structures. Once we got the initial batch of songs demoed, the rough recordings were sent to Matt and Tyler back in Vermont. With guitar tabs and videos of me playing the new songs, they were able to contribute and finishing the songs adding in their own parts.

Over the next year, we recorded tracks in Boston, Plattsburgh New York, and Seattle. During this time, Tom, Danielle and I decided to play a few shows with the band. We needed members on the West Coast to fill in for Matt and Tyler. I learned Tyler’s leads in order play the songs live, without him. Dusty Veristain joined on rhythm guitar, and bass was covered by both Brayden Hay (Anti-Self) and Drü McCutcheon (Circle of Beings) at different points.

Screaming Skull ended up playing a handful of shows in Portland and Seattle, sharing the stage with Die Young, Dangers, Heiress, Hollow Earth, Mountain Man, Wake of Humanity, Novelas, Squalor, and other talented musicians/people. While we played the shows, Danielle continued to write and rewrite lyrics. When asked what the songs were about, she said, “This group of songs is really just a lot of anger at the current state of the world and my interactions with it. It's about feeling like absolutely nothing and having [all] power taken away…and finding myself, my voice and allowing myself to be angry.” Those shows were some of the best I’ve ever been privileged to play, and I’m so grateful that they were able to happen.

Originally, I wanted press a small run of the record, to work with someone on PR in hopes of getting reviews written, and really push these songs out into the world. I’m so proud of how they came out, but the reality is that it’s been two years since we recorded them. Life has been busy for us all, and honestly, I just kept putting it off. I finally decided it was time to put them out there, for everyone to check out and listen to—so here they are. If anyone has interest in a physical copy of these recordings, let me know. Pending enough interest, I may end up pressing a short run of them.

It’s been a year and a half since Screaming Skull has played together, and I would love to play another show again, and even write new music given the opportunity. But, as Justin Boland of Seven Days said in a review of our first record, “Screaming Skull, from their inception, has fought to simply exist, separated by hundreds of miles and pulled apart by schedules." A friend even once told me that Screaming Skull wasn’t a “real” band since it was a recording project and that we weren’t playing out much. All of that said, this band has truthfully been the most real and honest project that I’ve ever been a part of, and I’m incredibly thankful for every moment and every bit of emotion/energy that my friends and I put into. Thank you to everyone who helped me pull this band together and to those who filled in on different instruments, helped booked our shows, took our photos, created art for us, bought merch and came to check us out on the East and West coast.

–Justin Gonyea, August 10th, 2018