The Scream

The Scream is the debut studio album by British rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees, released on November 13, 1978, by Polydor Records. Prior to recording of the album, the band recorded two sessions for BBC radio, during which they had premiered the tracks "Metal Postcard" and "Overground". Following the commercial success of their debut single, "Hong Kong Garden", which peaked at number seven on the UK chart, the band returned to the studio with the same co-producer, Steve Lillywhite. The Scream was recorded in one week and mixed in three weeks at RAK.

The record was hailed as a "landmark" by reviewers and it is considered a pioneering work of post-punk by music historians. The music combines an angular and jagged guitar, a bass-led rhythm, with machine-like drums heavy on tom-toms. The sound has been described as claustrophobic, big with a lot of space. In the UK, The Scream reached number twelve on the Albums chart.

Besides post-punk, it profoundly impacted noise rock and alternative rock genres and rock guitar playing in general. Bands and musicians including Joy Division, U2, Killing Joke, Steve Albini of Big Black and the Jesus and Mary Chain have cited it as an influence.