In a time when a certain Ben Gibbard dominated local airwaves and Modest Mouse began to "Float On" to nationwide fame, one Seattle-area band was making a different kind of music. This was no melodramatic pseudo-electronica, no songs about rough times and heartache. Schoolyard Heroes passed on half-philosophical laments and concerned themselves instead with skeletons, werewolves, and hydras, carving their own brand of raw, tenacious rock and roll.

Schoolyard Heroes fill their albums with material straight out of a bad horror film. There is a certain tongue-in-cheek aesthetic to both of the band's releases. 2003's Funeral Sciences features songs titled "Attack of the Puppet People" and "Bury the Tooth of the Hydra So the Skeleton Army Can Rise." The outfit's loyal following, dubbed the Skeleton Army, owes its name to the track. Schoolyard Heroes' 2005 Fantastic Wounds offered "Centaur: Half-Man Half-Motorcycle" and "Serial Killers Know How to Party."

The band's sound is undeniably unique and admittedly hard to describe. Influences from metal, hardcore, punk, and even opera can be found in their music. Lead Singer Ryann Donnelly, who dons a wide array of party dresses for live shows, utters delicate whispers, violent screams, and operatic wails. The latter have led some to compare Schoolyard Heroes to Iron Maiden. If Donnelly's vocals don't make your hair stand on end, guitarist Steve Bonnell's raw, angular riffs certainly will. One of the most gifted axe-men in the Seattle scene, Bonnell has an incredible technical ability and a knack for creating riffs using only finger-tapping.

Keith Richards, who deplores the fact that modern rock bands "forget the roll," would not be disappointed with Schoolyard Heroes. There's plenty of roll thanks to bassist Jonah Bergman. While delivering throttling bass lines, Bergman unleashes primal screams to complement Donnelly's. Brian Turner produces some ferocious drumming and manages to hold the high energy act together.

It is Schoolyard Heroes' energetic live act that has garnered them quite a reputation within the local scene. The entire band plays with a furious intensity that draws the crowd in and never relinquishes. Hair flies around the stage and Donnelly's freakishly doll-like dance moves rarely stop. Alongside other Seattle acts such as Kane Hodder and Mon Frere, Schoolyard Heroes have created a thriving local scene for their brand of raw, hard-edge rock. Spend one minute inside a local venue hosting Schoolyard Heroes, and it becomes obvious that this is the kind of music meant to be played loud. The roaring bass and Bonnell's frenetic guitar work simply can't be recreated on a record.

With that said, the band has had some success with their two full-lengths. Funeral Sciences garnered the band significant local attention and earned invites to Seattle's Capital Hill Block Party, Endfest, and the Bumbershoot Music Festival as well as limited play on local radio. Fantastic Wounds brought more of the same but showed a maturity in both musicianship and songwriting. With the band entering the studio for a third album, we can only expect that good things are in store for Schoolyard Heroes and their Skeleton Army.