Feb. 27--For a decade, Marissa Paternoster, the diminutive dynamo at the heart of Screaming Females, has sung and played guitar with a ferocity that dares to be contained. The voice shakes with conviction, and her guitar fills and solos combust in a way that suggests the hyper-speed virtuosity of thrash metal or the most progressive alternative-rock bands (she grew up on a steady diet of Billy Corgan riffs).
But on its sixth album, "Rose Mountain" (Don Giovanni Records), the New Jersey trio tempers the tempest. They work with an outside producer for the first time: Matt Bayles, whose credits include heavy hitters such as Mastodon, Isis and the Sword. The sound is cleaner, the songs more structured, the arrangements and performances less adventurous. After five self-produced albums -- including three great ones in a row, "Power Move" (2009), "Castle Talk" (2010), "Ugly" (2012) -- Screaming Females felt a shake-up was needed. The emphasis on songs and melody is likely to broaden the band's audience, while potentially alienating some longtime fans.
Was the shift worth it? The songs are catchier, but more predictable, with Paternoster's vocal cadences hitting on top of the guitar chords, rather than roaming free. The rhythm section of bassist King Mike and drummer Jarrett Dougherty sounds more disciplined and also more ordinary. The loud-soft dynamics on which most of the songs depend is reminiscent of the wave of more radio-friendly alternative-rock that followed in the wake of Nirvana in the early '90s.
The more constrained performances mask some of the blood-letting in the lyrics, in which Paternoster frankly addresses a break-up and alludes to some medical problems: "In the next life, I'll be better" (from "Wishing Well"); "I'm trapped inside myself" ("Broken Neck"); "I'm not hopeless, helpless, or begging you to stay, it's just turning out that way" ("Hopeless").
She sings with precision and control. This helps put the melodies front and center, but masks her combustible personality, the almost frightening intensity that marks her best performances. Similarly, her guitar playing has never been more melodic and lyrical, especially on the intro to "Wishing Well" and the title track. But the fury of old arrives in more controlled doses: The riffs that announce "Empty Head," "Triumph" and "Ripe," the shredding that brings "Criminal Image" to a close.
It's likely that guitar-rock fans who have never heard Screaming Females before will find this a solid introduction to a great band. Here's hoping they are intrigued enough to discover the richer rewards to be found in the trio's back catalog.
'Rose Mountain'
Screaming Females
2.5 stars (out of 4)
greg@gregkot.com
