I woke up this morning, which is like 10 minutes ago, and immediately jumped toward my computer with a goal to start writing this review. It is sad to say this to my readers, but your host is still leading a very much not envious life and it is seriously sabotaging me from doing loads of things. I have been putting efforts and the majority of my energy into some things so that my situation can get better, in turn leaving me with not so much inspiration for writing. Needless to say, it really pains me to see this blog dead, so this morning and this review are definitely a wake up call!
This seven inch split is pretty much old news by now and I presume that most of you already know about both these bands and their mutual collaboration present here. I have to admit that I delayed listening to this release quite a lot due to some unknown reasons even to me. Luckily, good internet friend Luisan, who happens to be a member of "¡Silencio, Ahora, Silencio!" and an awesome dude interested in "Natures With No Plagues", was kind enough to send me the split for reviewing and pretty much pushed me into listening. The nudge was quite welcome, since I seriously fell in love with both bands almost instantly.
"¡Silencio, Ahora, Silencio!", translated into "Silence, Now, Silence!", is a quartet project hailing from Madrid, Spain. These four guys push forward into our ears some genuine screamo, bearing that amazing 90's and early 2000's feel, which is really admirable since it is quite difficult to stumble upon such bands nowadays. The four songs on this record managed to strike a particular nostalgic chord in me, reminding me of bands such as "La Quiete", some early "Raein" and most notably of several Australian acts like "Eucalypt", for example. Also, as the band alone stated once, one of their influences was a local band, the well known chaotic screamo "Enoch Ardon". What you can realize on this record, is that the band took all these inspirations and influences and mixed up a unique sound of their own, standing on the verge of chaotic and gentle, extremely fast and sluggish. The four tracks themselves are a progress from rushing riffs and spasm-like melodies toward a really slow and dragging end. My favorite track is definitely the opening one, named "Eso Que No Hay Será Si Nosotros Lo Hacemos Ser ", which just instantly throws you on a roller coaster. Fast tempo, rending riffs, splashed with calming intersections leading into more explosive outbursts of sound and ending in a calm, serene drifting away. Simply put, a great composition and pretty much the main trigger of the already mentioned nostalgic mood I had while listening. Not to relax you and just putting you on a chair with needles, the second song comes as a 33 second little menace bearing chaos. First half of the song you listen to the calmness which oozed from the first song and then it just snaps and pounds you with chaotic melodies, comparable to numerous German screamo bands. The following song, "...Y cuando crees saberlo todo AKA Maletín", continues in the same fashion bearing chaos, although with a repetitive melody, which also extends to the last song. As I said earlier, their side of the split is a progress to a slower ending, so the final tunes you get to hear are really slow when compared to the opening and overall that gives a nice touch to the recording as a whole.
Moving along to side B of the split and meeting "Descubriendo a Mr.Mime", or in other words "Finding Mr. Mime", yet another Spanish band. If my researching skills are still working well, this is a quintet we are talking about, if not, my apologies. In any case, much like their split partners, this band makes me extremely proud and happy for having this record in my collection. What we get to hear on this side is also 90's/early 2000's screamo, though a much darker and grimmer edition, standing close to bands like "Das Plague", "Ekkaia" from their screamo period, at times also reminding me of "Optimus Prime" and, again, "Enoch Ardon". So as you can see by the comparisons, quite depressive influences, but the amazing thing is that this band manages to use that inspiration extremely well when it comes to creating their own tunes. Their songs are somewhat dual, in terms of having a relatively equal amount of slower, mood setting sections and those more aggressive, chaotic fits. What I really enjoyed are those former parts which are quite atmospheric and they succeed in creating a specific feeling in the listener. The violent parts are definitely not lacking, since those instances lash out at you like a thunderstorm. A perfect example is the opening song "Leibniz", which has a superb bass line as a centerpiece, a composition style which you don't see quite often. There is this perfect melancholic sensation just thrown at you and then you are washed by a wall of rending riffs and explosions near the end. Although short, only one minute and eleven seconds, this song manages to really hit you hard and immediately cast you into what this band is about. The above mentioned duality is present on all songs, but it is interesting to hear their entire side of the split, simply because they keep expanding . Opposed to the one minute first song, the last third song is a four minute piece and a really epic ending.
In the end, some technical details about this release. 250 copies on transparent red vinyl have been pressed, as a collaboration between three labels, those being "Dog Knights Production", "Bear Records" and "Ghosts and Demons", all of which you can find here, here and here. Each label and band grabbed 50 copies, so you can also get in touch with the bands if you desire a copy.
All in all, I'd like to thank Luisan again for sending me a copy of the split, accompanied by an amazing "Magic:the Gathering" card, and for basically introducing me to these two excellent bands. Both projects are still young, but there is an enormous amount of potential here and I can only hope that they will continue to make music. Their bandcamp pages feature some more of their material, aside of this split, so be sure to check them out, I guarantee you will enjoy!
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