Fearless scares

Arizona rockers, Scary Kids Scaring Kids, are determined to avoid frights with their tame second full-length, self-titled release.

While past records have been contrived and included a gimmicky synthesizer, the band's latest reinvigorates a sound that has garnered them a loyal following of fans in self-sewn jeans and Chuck Taylors.

Standing out immediately is the unusually moderate use of keyboard played by Pouyan Afkary, which makes a lot of the songs on the new CD sound more mature.

Unfortunately, they have not grown out of sappy ballads, which would be more fitting on a Bon Jovi tribute than a post-hardcore record.

"Holding On" finally kicks the record off at track three, with some eerily familiar keyboards when vocalist Tyson Stevens yelps, "There goes the sun!"

With the downplaying of said keys, the guitars are showcased and allowed to shine a lot more than in SKSK's past. Who would have guessed that this synth-heavy band possessed two gifted guitarists?

While screaming does hold a place in the new album, it too has been toned down, marking yet another sign of improvement and maturation.

Despite its incredibly blas?(c) title, "A Pistol to my Temple" is a prime example of a song that more than likely would have been destroyed on an earlier release. Fortunately, with a new significance placed on the guitars and non-screaming vocals, listeners are greeted with the sharpest track on the record.

The track shows that Scary Kids knows how to use a double bass drum in moderation, unlike comparable bands like August Burns Red, who seem to use the double kicker in every song.

Although Scary Kids' sound has matured, their lyrics continue to tiptoe around in the cheesy trench that they dug long ago. One such example is the first ballad "Starcrossed."

Where "Starcrossed" does not succeed in fully disappointing, the acoustic follow-up "Derailed" easily picks up the slack; the song is so sappy even an Air Supply fan would be agitated.

"Derailed we failed to keep our love on course," Stevens sings.

While there are still many more songs that follow the two ballads, the CD ironically derails from any real cohesiveness, violently crashing out the window. It's a second-rate end, following a rather strong first six tracks.

Hopefully next time SKSK puts out an album illustrating their newfound maturity, the members will be responsible enough to finish what they started.