"You're not going to please everyone," says Every Time I Die's singer Keith Buckley, explaining his band's darkly pessimistic nature character. "The fact that we've gotten this far being exactly the kind of people we are and we're able to portray it in the songs, that's perfect."
For the last five years Buffalo, NY's Every Time I Die have been building an impressive reputation for themselves in the underground as much for their complex, contrasting amalgamation of abrasive hardcore/ metal damage and rock catchiness as for their sardonic humour. "If we're going to do that and people don't like us, that's not my fault at all. If people don't like our sense of humour, our cynicism, I'm sorry, you're not coming from where we're coming from."
Their satirical nature apparent in everything from their song titles ("Ebolarama," "In The Event That Everything Should Go Terribly Wrong") to their album covers (2001's Last Night In Town featured the band sporting Reservoir Dogs style, beating the crap out of someone) to Buckley's darkly witty, abstract lyrics. Their latest and greatest release, Hot Damn! (on Ferret), musically remains just as heavy while improving on ETID's songwriting, magnifying the catchier hooks of past releases, and again finds ETID immersed in a cynical but almost playful world of their own devising. And, apparently, it is all Buffalo's fault.
"We've lived in a really shitty city our whole lives. All sense of valour is gone and you're just dealing with alcoholics and football fanatics," Buckley laments. "You have to take it with a grain of salt; the only way to stay afloat here is by making jokes. Just laugh it off. You have to be equipped with a sharp, sharp, cynical sense of humour to not succumb to the shit. Anyone that has spent some time in Buffalo will come to that conclusion, I guarantee it."
For the last five years Buffalo, NY's Every Time I Die have been building an impressive reputation for themselves in the underground as much for their complex, contrasting amalgamation of abrasive hardcore/ metal damage and rock catchiness as for their sardonic humour. "If we're going to do that and people don't like us, that's not my fault at all. If people don't like our sense of humour, our cynicism, I'm sorry, you're not coming from where we're coming from."
Their satirical nature apparent in everything from their song titles ("Ebolarama," "In The Event That Everything Should Go Terribly Wrong") to their album covers (2001's Last Night In Town featured the band sporting Reservoir Dogs style, beating the crap out of someone) to Buckley's darkly witty, abstract lyrics. Their latest and greatest release, Hot Damn! (on Ferret), musically remains just as heavy while improving on ETID's songwriting, magnifying the catchier hooks of past releases, and again finds ETID immersed in a cynical but almost playful world of their own devising. And, apparently, it is all Buffalo's fault.
"We've lived in a really shitty city our whole lives. All sense of valour is gone and you're just dealing with alcoholics and football fanatics," Buckley laments. "You have to take it with a grain of salt; the only way to stay afloat here is by making jokes. Just laugh it off. You have to be equipped with a sharp, sharp, cynical sense of humour to not succumb to the shit. Anyone that has spent some time in Buffalo will come to that conclusion, I guarantee it."
