The pAper chAse

Harnessed by an avenging, sinister and violent tone, the masterful Dallas quartet The pAper chAse are as meticulous with their sound as a serial killer would be with the evidence at a bloody crime scene. Yet despite all the weird evilness heard through the sharp, affecting lyrics of lead man John Congleton ("So go and scream all you want / 'Cause that only excites me"), the band is quite melodic and oddly catchy. On their latest, Now You Are One of Us, released on June 6, 2006 (get it, 6/6/06!), the spine-chilling piano is pushed against aggressively serrated guitar work, anchored bass lines, hard-hitting drums and Congleton's pipes for dramatic results that are nothing short of stunning -- and horrifying.