+4 The Scissors’ Last Album: Punk Rock Review
The Scissors’ Last Album: Punk Rock Review
The Scissors, Photographed by Kristyna Archer Photography.
The Scissors’ Last Album: Punk Rock Review
The Scissors’ Last Album: Punk Rock Review
The Scissors, Photographed by Kristyna Archer Photography.
The Scissors’ Last Album: Punk Rock Review
The Scissors’ Last Album: Punk Rock Review
The Scissors, Photographed by Kristyna Archer Photography.
The Scissors’ Last Album: Punk Rock Review
The Scissors’ Last Album: Punk Rock Review
The Scissors, Photographed by Kristyna Archer Photography.
The Scissors’ Last Album: Punk Rock Review
The Scissors’ Last Album: Punk Rock Review
The Scissors, Photographed by Kristyna Archer Photography.
The Scissors’ Last Album: Punk Rock Review
The Scissors’ Last Album: Punk Rock Review
The Scissors, Photographed by Kristyna Archer Photography.
The Scissors’ Last Album: Punk Rock Review
The Scissors’ Last Album: Punk Rock Review
The Scissors, Photographed by Kristyna Archer Photography.
The Scissors’ Last Album: Punk Rock Review
The Scissors’ Last Album: Punk Rock Review
The Scissors, Photographed by Kristyna Archer Photography.
Darren Kurt Vorel, guitarist and singer of Chicago’s pop-punk band The Scissors, announced in May that the group decided to part ways after 11 years of rocking out.
“I lived in an apartment with cockroaches the size of my thumb, gun shots outside my window. Vorel wrote a letter on the Scissors Website. about The Scissors’ decision to separate just eight months after their latest album, Over Your Dead Body (2012).
“Well, when we started this all those years ago there was nothing but ideas, excitement, and fun,” wrote Vorel. “The way it should be. Best friends getting together in the basement with whatever instruments we could get our hands on…we just let it rip and played as loud and as hard as we could.”
Despite their love for music, time and individual sacrifices had taken a toll on the band members. “Unfortunately we weren’t immune to setbacks down the road…Each of us had to make sacrifices in our personal lives to do this. So, now is the right time to give The Scissors the breather it deserves.”
He described Over Your Dead Body as the best record The Scissors produced, explaining it was a fitting last album because of the work put into it. “We’ve been working tirelessly since then to really give you guys everything you love about The Scissors. Each time we’d get a break we’d feel the same excitement we felt when the band started.”
Over Your Dead Body was released in Sept. 2012, recorded at Catfish Studios, Lombard. Unlike their last album, You Can Make It Dangerous (2010), Yvonne Szumski, former rhythm guitarist of the band, takes center stage as main singer and back-up guitarist. Szumski has a wide vocal range, from singing her heart out to rocking it out with shouts and rugged pronunciations.
Steve Mast, now lead guitar and producer of the album, shows off his impressive guitar solos and background vocals, such as in their second track “Stay Away.”
Vorel still lends his distinct vocals for several tracks. He and Szumski collaborate their singing in such tracks as “A-List,” “Best Part of Me,” and the album’s title song “Over Your Dead Body.”
Most of the tracks are high-energy, pure-punk defiance. The fast-paced energy is often accompanied by haunting, brooding lyrics; “All my faith in you is dying/There’s so much I thought I knew/All I see are bodies lying/No one here tells the truth”–“Skeletons.”
“Breakout” is the heaviest in emotional weight, with the slower tempo, heavy guitar riffs, and Szumski’s voice deep during the verses. The album ends with a cover of “What’s Love Got to Do with It,” a punk version of Tina Turner’s classic song.
Overall, it is a fun, energetic album going out with a bang. Vorel thanked their fans, friends, family, management, past members and sponsors for supporting them throughout the years. He concluded, “There is no failure here, only time well spent. We are extremely fortunate people to have lived out this dream.”
Over Your Dead Body can be listened to and purchased at the Scissors Website.
