Guitarist Walter Schreifels, formerly of Gorilla Biscuits, formed Quicksand in 1990;[1] the band would later become influential in the post-hardcore genre.
[1] He spent time working on CIV's debut album Set Your Goals (1995),[3] before reuniting Quicksand in 1997,[1] until disbanding again in 1999.
Despite his peers being dropped from their respective major labels following a merger with Universal, Island Records retained Schreifels and gave him time to form a new band.
Rival Schools was born out of an informal jam session with drummer Sam Siegler (formerly of Gorilla Biscuits and Youth of Today) and bassist Cache Tolman (formerly of Iceburn and CIV).
[4] They spent several months working on material and recording demos, before adding guitarist Ian Love (formerly of Burn and Die 116).
[3] United by Fate was recorded with producer Luke Ebbin, mainly at Bearsville Studios in upstate New York.
[7] United by Fate is an alternative rock,[6][8][9] emo[10] and post-hardcore record,[11][12][13] which drew comparisons to Quicksand,[8][14] Hundred Reasons,[15] Foo Fighters, Burning Airlines,[16] Mission of Burma, Wheat and Built to Spill.
Schreifels' vocals earned a comparison to Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain[17] and Bush vocalist Gavin Rossdale.
[20] The bass guitar-driven "Everything Has Its Point"[9] is followed by the pop rock track "High Acetate"[21] evoked the group's New York hardcore roots[14] and Nirvana.
It initially starts with a quiet guitar part and hi-hat crashes before the full-band comes in;[9] the heavy tone earned a comparison to Queens of the Stone Age.
[10] "My Echo" is a less-than-two minute track that uses a surf rock rhythm guitar sound: a descending chord progression and eighth note strumming in the pre-chorus.
[29] To aid in promotion, the label gave away a sampler that featured two of the album's tracks, combined with two outtakes, with purchases of a Weezer single.
D'Angelo wrote that it "actually lives up to the expectations raised by their pedigree", though felt it was "tamer material than the past projects of Rival School's members".
[24] BBC Music's Jack Smith wrote that "My Echo" exemplified the album's best moments: "infectious hooks, dont-overstay-your-welcome brevity and a trace of off-kilterness".
[16] Punknews.org staff member Hein Terweduwe was surprised that "these guys have a lot of maturity to show in this effort", calling the writing "complex and intelligent song-building".
Thanks to the extremely powerful rhythm section, the band never runs the risk of drifting into tearful realms, but always rocks up properly".
Rob Kemp of Rolling Stone said that Rival Schools "work up a mighty head of steam on United by Fate, joining the thunder of Jawbox to the anxious tunefulness of the Who".
[21] Blender's John Harris said that despite the band "try[ing] as they might, their brand of dejected, pummeling misery-rock can’t help but seem way out of time" with their contemporaries.
[48] Pitchfork contributor Adam Dlugacz lambasted the album, saying that Schreifels' "third hurrah amounts to a bunch of ex-hardcore heroes who have-- surprise!-- not aged gracefully.
[62] "Get Centered" was previously only available through a sample CD that the band handed out on their 2001 tour, prior to the release of United by Fate.