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[Review] Attack Attack! ‘This Means War’

Published

14 years ago

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Although Ohio-based metalcore troupe Attack Attack!‘s intention of making This Means War a seamless, fluent record is obvious even before the first listen (a quick scan of the album’s track listing reveals the repeated use of the word “the” in every song title), I was expecting a smooth record – not a repetitive one. But alas, I was once again confronted with a rather disappointing release from the four piece. After their bland rerelease of their self-titled album in summer 2011 (review), I was hoping Attack Attack! would redeem themselves with their third studio effort, and although this record is definitely worthy of a few kudos, it was not on par with what I would typically expect from the creative, genre-blending band I love. 

This Means War is chock-full of the typical metalcore fare – syncopated rhythms, gritty guitars, deep cyber-breakdowns, and all the standard vocals styles (including bellowing screams, gang vocals, and a healthy serving of whoa-oh’s). And although the familiar chug-chug style that endears all Attack Attack! fans is there, I think most listeners will find that a lot of the usual danceability has been lost with this record, replaced instead with a decidedly darker sound. Unfortunately, this departure seems to be hesitant, and the audience is left in a bizarre middle ground. “The Hopeless” introduces a bubbly, outer-space inspired electronic effect that haunts the album – it is present in the majority of the songs, and although the record does begin to venture into the realm of sounds reminiscent of electro-infused bands such as Enter Shikari and Abandon All Ships, there are points during “The Reality” that cut it too close to dubstep territory for my comfort. Additionally, “The Motivation” features a delightful piano intro, and “The Eradication” provides the harshness I was craving throughout the entire record, although it’s position as the last song on the album leaves the listener wanting more in a place where they are not going to get it. 
The Final Word: I would say this record is a solid one. It’s not a classic, like Attack Attack!‘s self-titled album, but die-hard fans will most likely find it satisfactory. In my opinion, This Means War seems to serve as the transfer paper placed beneath Attack Attack!’s original application for the metalcore club. It’s a faded impression of their previous records – and it will most likely get lost in the filing cabinet of their discography. 
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Music

Marco Beltrami’s ‘Scream’ Score Gets Deluxe Reissue For 30th Anniversary

Published

2 days ago

on

July 9, 2026

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Seminal slasher Scream rewrote the rules in 1996, and for its 30th anniversary,  Varèse Sarabande and Craft Recordings are celebrating with a new anniversary reissue of Marco Beltrami’s landmark score.

The original 14-track album returns to vinyl in a collectible “blood-soaked” sleeve on August 28.

If blood red isn’t your color, there’s good news: the reissue will also be available in many different limited-edition exclusive pressings.

In addition to the wide “Woodsboro Bloodbath” red vinyl pictured below, look for the following exclusives:

An Extended Cut Edition of the Scream (Original Motion Picture Score), featuring all 40 of the film’s cues from the 2022 Scream boxset, will also be available on CD. All formats are available to pre-order or pre-save today.

Top L-R: “Knife’s Edge” silver vinyl with poster (Target), “Surprise, Sidney” metallic blend vinyl (Barnes & Noble), “Don’t Hang Up” clear vinyl (Books-A-Million),
Bottom L-R: “I’ll Be Right Back” blue vinyl (Urban Outfitters), “Final Girl” splatter vinyl (Hot Topic), “Wrong Answer” Blood Red Splatter vinyl (Varèse Sarabande/Craft Recordings), and “Final Phone Call” blue vinyl (Indie Retail)

Marco Beltrami composed the iconic score as a then young, up-and-coming composer—one who, ironically, had never scored or even seen a horror film.

Yet just three years after he completed the University of Southern California’s rigorous scoring program, Beltrami submitted 13 minutes of music for Scream’s opening sequence and his future was forever changed. “We knew in half a minute that we had found our composer,” Craven told Variety in 2012. “The music was haunting, beautiful and totally original. Marco turned out to be shy and soft-spoken, but a fountain of ideas and innovation. I never looked back.”

Scream (Original Motion Picture Score) (30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)

CD Tracklist

1. Dimension Logo (0:19)

2. The Cue from Hell (10:33)

3. Trouble in Woodsboro (1:52)

4. Sid’s House (1:12)

5. Red Herring (2:13)

6. Killer Calls Sydney (2:52)

7. Chasing Sidney (1:29)

8. Cell Phone (1:00)

9. Backdoor Gale (0:49)

10. Schoolyard 2 (1:17)

11. Sid’s Doubt (1:23)

12. Bathroom (2:58)

13. Mr. Himbry Gets It (2:11)

14. Sherriff and Dewey (1:21)

15. Tatum’s Torture (2:46)

16. Sidney Wants It (3:09)

17. Dewey and Gale (1:57)

18. Off to See Himbry (0:41)

19. Killer Stabs Billy (2:50)

20. Randy Almost Gets It (2:33)

21. Gale Crashes the Van (1:33)

22. They’re Crazy (9:42)

23. Sid Stabs Billy (4:24)

24. Billy’s Back (0:52)

25. End Credits (1:40)

26. Sid’s Window (0:26)

27. Gut Someone (0:13)

28. Sid Looks (0:16)

29. Billy Looks (0:24)

30. Billy to Cell (0:34)

31. Killer Calls Again (0:35)

32. Bang Into Billy (0:12)

33. Girl Talk (0:54)

34. Video Store (0:45)

35. Why She’s Here (0:16)

36. Billy Sting (0:13)

37. Prescott’s Car (0:29)

38. Hairbrush (0:38)

39. The Cue from Hell (Orchestra Only) (6:28)

40. I Don’t Care (Vocals Performed by Dillon Dixon) (3:01)

Scream – Original Motion Picture Score

Vinyl Tracklist

Side A:

1. Dimension Logo (0:19)

2. The Cue from Hell (10:33)

3. Trouble in Woodsboro (1:52)

4. Red Herring (2:13)

5. Chasing Sidney (1:29)

6. Backdoor Gale (0:49)

7. Schoolyard 2 (1:17)

8. Bathroom (2:58)

Side B:

1. Sherriff and Dewey (1:21)

2. Tatum’s Torture (2:46)

3. Sidney Wants It (3:09)

4. Killer Stabs Billy (2:50)

5. They’re Crazy (9:42)

6. End Credits (1:40)

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