Review Summary: An all-encompassing, pathos-driven release from two of screamo's most notorious contemporaries.
“Arm me, give me your faith/Make me your soldier/Your faithful soldier//Look me in the eyes/And tell me/We're doing everything right.//That this is/the right path,/that the name of my hands/Is the name of my friends.//I feel the new day,/The brand new day.//Maybe something has changed./Maybe something has changed.”-Raein's “Faithless.”
These words mark the first moments of chaotic fury found on two of the most notorious screamo acts'- Raein and Daitro-split EP. Building a wall of sound-one that lives to concoct new variations of stupendous fury; one that comes out as what it should be, a furious, dissonant, emotional, passionate composition-Raein begins this split EP with “Faithless,” a track that exudes violent heaviness and atmospheric chaos. The guitar licks are perfect throughout, combining swift dissonance with a more emotional soundscape. The guitars alternate between more intense riffs, tremolo-picks, and sweeps, whilst also including clam repetitions into their songs. The drums are stable as well as fast, adding a great, steadfast feel to the songs. And the bass here is present and adds a great deal of muscle to Raein's part of the split. This allows there to be several chilling, thrilling melodic parts to this record and it overall helps make this aural masterpiece worthwhile.
Raein's enormous cavalcade of intelligent, pathos-driven, screamo music, begins with that explosive storm of dissonance, and allows the listener to dive into a quirky collection of righteous songs. The next two songs have a tremendous ebb and flow to them, that nourishes the listener's want for a memorable release. And how much more memorable could the slow transition from said explosion into the softer, more passionate epic, “Blue Lines” be?
And while this dissonance continues to transform into something new, a French screamo outfit, Daitro, kicks it into gear with a more serene, tranquil edge to their sound that so many post-rock bands desire to acquire. This covetous quality is perfectly portrayed on Daitro's opener, “Au About De Mes Lèvres,” where a simple, raw drumbeat slowly progresses into tremolo-picked octave chords, and fierce, unclean vocals. Daitro expands upon said ebb and flow, whilst adding that aforementioned serenity. This makes Daitro an extremely apposite match for Raein, as they act as yin and yang to their counterpart without losing their much appreciated composure. All of these elements combined allow a mesh of styles to come together and create a fierce, emotional masterpiece of great intensity and enjoyability. Well done, Raein; good job, Daitro. I pay to you the highest gratitude.
FINAL RATING:4.6/5-An all-encompassing, pathos-driven release from two of screamo's most notorious contemporaries.
