There is a convincing sense of catharsis that emits from Milwaukee screamo outfit in Snag. The band's sophomore effort, Death Doula, captures on record the existential anxiety that can only result from watching the environmental slow burn that our collective society is currently living through. The real life peril at the core of the music, coupled with the band's nuanced brand of measured audio abrasion, makes for an especially compelling addition to the subcategory.

The album's introduction in "Heirloom" offered a frenzied-paced, almost panic-driven assertion fueled by the cadence and vocal command of the band's drummer and vocalist, Brian Wysocki. The palpitations on wax become especially authentic when paired with the source material - Wysocki, along with shared screams of his cohorts, resonate as especially real when framed in the context of its concern for complete catastrophe.

Tracks like "Jar Spell" maintain that same fever-pitch, combining dynamic drum patterns, incendiary punk-powered guitars and gang's gripping gasps of distress. The songs are noisy, albeit calculated in their chaotic presentation. It's that kind of duality that exists at the nucleus of Death Doula - aware enough to understand the gravity of the world's environmental impending doom, yet scared shitless enough to warrant a loud, visceral collective scream.

The band offered their explanation in the simplest of terms, better detailing the kind of panic that fuels their creative pulse. "Snag is a band about climate anxiety, and Death Doula is about crossing thresholds. We're in the midst of all kinds of transitions. This week saw the highest temperatures in the Pacific Northwest ever recorded. Almost everyone on the planet spent the last year dealing with mass death from the pandemic. We're living in a time of multiple simultaneous crises unfolding in slow motion every single day. And a lot of what we're thinking about with this album is, what comes next? Where is the light? How do we come to terms with the fact that nothing will ever be the same?"

Yet in it's stark presentation of calamity, the album offers shining instances of subtle melody that ensure the songs always embrace a sense of balance. From a songwriting standpoint, the tracks' caustic front are bolstered by a methodical composition of chaos that underscores the ability of the trio responsible and well surpasses the any sub category.

Snag is good shit. Scary as all hell when you read between the lines to understand where it came from, but good shit nonetheless. Stream Death Doula from Snag available via Middle Man Records below.