Rival Schools

Rival Schools emerged from deeply rooted hardcore backgrounds, with each member bringing an extensive track record and clear indicators of future promise. Walter Schreifels first attracted attention playing guitar in the pioneering '80s hardcore band Gorilla Biscuits, later shaping the post-hardcore landscape through his pivotal contributions in Quicksand and his production work for CIV and Hot Water Music. Drummer Sam Siegler accumulated comparable experience across an array of groups including Gorilla Biscuits, Youth of Today, Judge, Shelter, CIV, and Glassjaw prior to joining Rival Schools. Guitarist Ian Love refined his technique in the New York outfits Burn and Die 116, while bassist Cache "Utah Slim" Tolman previously played with the experimental jazz-metal group Iceburn and shared time in CIV alongside Siegler. Given this breadth of shared history, the musicians naturally converged to form a new band that channeled their combined skills into loftier territory.

The quartet assembled at the opening of the twenty-first century and swiftly built a live reputation for intense rock performances ahead of any studio output. Blending Quicksand's onstage force with more open-ended guitar textures and Schreifels' freshly melodic vocal style, Rival Schools fused the drive of the emerging metal wave with genuine emotional depth and reflective intent. Amid an era increasingly saturated by contrived rock facsimiles, the band rejected formulaic patterns in favor of unfiltered invention. Extending that risk further, the members chose to launch their discography as a conceptual series on Schreifels' own New York imprint Some Records, envisioning multiple collaborative EPs that would unite various artists under one banner. They enlisted Jonah Matranga—previously frontman of Far, then active with Onelinedrawing, later the singer of New End Original, and an occasional touring companion—to realize the plan. The resulting EP, Rival Schools United By Onelinedrawing, captured the group's early momentum on songs such as "Take One for the Team" and "Contraire," though greater accomplishments lay ahead. Retaining prior ties to Island Records from Schreifels' Quicksand period, the label signed the band, leading to the summer 2001 release of the full-length United By Fate. The album delivered bold compositions, raw dynamism, and sharply melodic yet abrasive guitars, outcomes long anticipated by attentive listeners.

Momentum faltered in 2002 when Ian Love departed to concentrate on his project Cardia. The remaining members continued developing a follow-up, yet the group disbanded the next year amid speculation about an unreleased second album that ultimately surfaced in 2013 under the title Found. Following separate paths, Rival Schools reconvened in 2008 to play European festivals and then returned to the studio to finish their next record properly. After years of anticipation, Pedals appeared in 2011.