Record Label: Photo Finish Release Date: March 8, 2011 Parental Advisory?: No Rival Schools gets their name, and the name of their debut album United By Fate, from an obscure arcade game that was later ported to the PlayStation.
So before I had even heard a single note played by founding member and front man Walter Schreifels, these guys had already grabbed this nerd's attention.
Then I heard the record.
It only took one play to cement its place among my favorite albums of all time.
The album didn't leave my player for ages at a time, and the CD served as the soundtrack to my life for a good long while.
I loved this band.
Unfortunately, the affair was cut short when guitarist Ian Love moved on to another project in 2002.
The remainder of Rival Schools seemed to falter and eventually the group was disbanded in 2003.
All that was left behind was this one amazing full length album, a split recording with like-minded artist Onelinedrawing (Jonah Matranga of Far), and a slew of rumors surrounding a partially recorded second album.
Years passed and the rumors died down.
Then almost out of nowhere there was a very quiet reunion to play a few festivals in the UK where the band arguably enjoyed a larger fan base.
Then, to my delight, it was announced early in 2010 that Rival Schools would indeed be recording a new album.
Admittedly, I was skeptical of a new album after a ten year hiatus.
What band could possibly release a sophomore album that is relevant AND pleases the fans of their debut effort from a decade ago? Two words: My heroes.
The amazing thing is they don't miss a beat.
It's almost like they never broke up in the first place.
The ten new tracks that populate the album Pedals are every bit as solid as the material they released in the summer of 2001.
Granted, Schreifels and company seem to have lost a step in the intensity department over the years.
Either they've matured a bit or these guys aren't as angry as they were ten years ago.
Fortunately maturity doesn't interfere with their ability to express the same amount of passion in their sound as their debut.
Tracks like the opening "Wring It Out" and "Eyes Wide Open" would be right at home with the band's earlier work, and where there are deviations from the norm, they are executed skillfully.
For instance the bass lines on "Choose Your Adventure" and "The Ghost Is Out There" are so distorted they almost sound like a synthesizer, and even a little piano makes its way into the album.
These are things you won't find on United By Fate, but they mesh well here in this older, wiser Rival Schools sound.
My only real complaint with Pedals is it's too short.
I think maybe I'm genetically predisposed to liking this band though, and after a ten year break, a two hour long album would have been too short for my taste.
Pedals' ten tracks clock in at just over 34 minutes which is just over way too soon for me.
Fortunately the $10.
99 price point made it a lot easier for me to cope.
If you're a fan of the band's previous work, this purchase should be a no-brainer.
If you're just a fan of passionate music, this is one to keep an eye on.