Search - Saccharine Trust :: We Became Snakes (Reis)

This L.A.-bred combo quickly shed its hardcore skin to drape itself in some of the most experimental sounds of the early '80s. Although lineup changes were plentiful, core members Joaquin Brewer (vocals) and Joe Baiza (guitar) poked and prodded their songs into unique shapes suffused with free-jazz and stylin' syncopated rhythms, all captured deftly on this Mike Watt-produced set. Brewer often slips into evangelical mode, dramatically declaiming fearsome lyrics that could've been cribbed from the Book of Revelations. Baiza matches him emote for emote, coaxing some decidedly brimstone-fueled solos from his axe that mesh perfectly with Steve Moss's sax on bracing cuts like "Longing for Ether" and "The Redeemer." Sharp, smart, and more than a little scary. --David Sprague