The Vault: Why Saosin’s debut EP, “Translating The Name”, remains one of post-hardcore’s finest

Revisiting an older but familiar album is an exercise in excitement, if not sometimes futility. You’re essentially listening to something you’ve probably heard over and over again – you eventually wonder, “Will it hold up?” “Do I still love the songs as much as I used to, or is it just nostalgic feelings for my youth?”

Saosin’s 2003 debut EP, Translating The Name, still gives the chills – and has many years after its initial release. Let’s take a look back on how TLN set the music scene on fire, and spawned a horde of imitators in its wake.

Could 15 minutes of music change your life and set a music scene on fire, rewriting the music scene as we know it? It sparked a wave of imitators.

A volatile mix of crushing drums, metal’s galloping guitar lines, and Anthony Green’s unmistakable vocals, Translating the Name managed to do in 15 minutes, what some bands can’t do in a career: expand the limits of their genre, and turn post-hardcore into something fresh and new.

For an EP, the production is pretty clear, which is a big reason Translating the Name was spread around Myspace and other social networking sites, giving them a sizable following, before even landing a major label record deal. The bass (!) and drums are clearly heard and felt, and Justin Shekoski and Beau Burchell do an excellent job on guitar, as some of the guitar lines (especially on Seven Years) are instantly memorable.

But oh, does this album have amazing songs. Everything, even the not-immaculate-but-still-pretty-close title track, are all worth listening to. Why? It’s Anthony Green that’s the star of this show, going from throat-shredding screams, to haunting melodic vocals, effortlessly. He is easily one of the most talented vocalists of this genre, especially in the last 30 seconds of “3rd Measurement In C”.

“Lost Symphonies” is another standout song, though it is a little slower than any other song on the EP. Pat Mcgrath’s drumwork is furious here, as well. As is the case throughout the album, Anthony Green and the rest of the band absolutely bring everything they’ve got to the last minute of “Lost Symphonies”. That’s another thing that makes this EP work so well: seemingly effortless slow, medium, and fast tempos, at multiple times during each song.

Emotional, cathartic, heavy, melodic, technical – this is everything an EP should be. Translating the Name hinted at all the potential Saosin had. And you have to wonder what could have been, had Anthony Green not left Saosin initially. But that’s the past. Considering Circa Survive and Saosin’s success, maybe it was all worth it.