A Wilhelm Scream

Unless you’re a cinema nerd, you probably don’t know the term “Wilhelm scream,” but trust us — you’ve heard this sound effect before. Depending on which legend you believe, the sound was first heard in the 1953 film The Charge at Feather River. When an actor playing a cowboy gets shot in the leg with an arrow, he lets out one of the most hilarious shrieks ever recorded, and it’s still being used in films today (see: Peter Jackson, Star Wars). It’s fitting, then, that the band A Wilhelm Scream would take such a time-honored classic for its name. The Massachusetts-bred five piece — best recognized for vocalist Nuno Pereira’s concrete-coated, angst-ridden lyrics — pays tribute to the melodic hardcore bands (such as Good Riddance and Propaghandi) that paved the way while pushing the boundaries of a genre that many thought had been shot with its own metaphorical arrow years ago.