The Tracy Chapter

The '90s and 2000s have seen two very different trends in hardcore. One is metalcore, a harsh, bruising, claustrophobic, and downright unforgiving style that takes hardcore to the extreme and is exemplified by bands like Brick Bath, Rotten Sound, and Throwdown. The other is a style that is known as post-hardcore, melodic hardcore or screamo, which thrives on heaven/hell and cruelty/kindness contrasts — typically, a post-hardcore band will fluctuate between tortured screaming and more conventional melodies and vocals. From Autumn to Ashes, Nora, Emery, Postman Syndrome and Hopesfall are among the bands with that type of outlook — and clearly, the post-hardcore/melodic hardcore/screamo aesthetic is very much at work on Tracy Chapter, Destiny's second full-length album. Recorded in 2003, this CD is full of naked brutality; Johannes Formella, the Danish band's lead singer, is a punishing screamer who uses his vocal chords to beat and torture listeners into submission. But Tracy Chapter also has some melodic moments, and Destiny does offer some breathing room (unlike metalcore bands). Here's the thing: if Tracy Chapter is meant to juxtapose harshness and compassion, harshness ultimately has the upper hand. While School for Heroes (a screamo band from Florida) tends to give melody an advantage over brutality, Destiny is the exact opposite — they can be merciful, but they prefer the heavy-handed approach. Tracy Chapter is like a dominatrix who occasionally shows her willing victim some mercy but seems to enjoy bullwhipping him more than caressing him; "Mistress Tracy," arguably, is more of a sadist than a sensualist. This album is far from unique — there are countless other screamo outfits that embrace pleasure/pain contrasts and let pain have the greater advantage — but that doesn't mean that it's without merit. While Tracy Chapter isn't exceptional, it's a generally decent (if mildly uneven and less than distinctive) example of the post-hardcore/screamo style.