Review Summary: Containing everything a good screamo album should, Laisser Vivre Les Squelettes puts Daitro at the forefront of the genre.
Despite my being a fan of the emo genre since late 2004 (when I was first introduced to it, like a lot sputnik users, with
Circle Takes the Square's
As the Roots Undo), owning numerous records by bands like
Indian Summer,
Jerome's Dream,
Love Like...Electrocution,
Off Minor, etc etc and even having attended a decent number of both local and international shows, I still feel like a total amateur. I guess this is just because I'm a bit slow; while all the cool kids are out discovering obscure acts from all parts of the world, I'm still getting into
Orchid and
Funeral Diner. Hell, even when I venture to certain parts of sputnik, it's like reading things in another language. What the hell does "cr00sh" even mean anyway?
So what do I know about
Daitro? Not a lot. In fact, all I really know about them is that they're European. Judging from what I can hear of their lyrics, I'd say they're probably French but I'm not totally sure. What I am sure of, however, is that Daitro are truly forerunners in the modern emo genre.
From beginning to end,
Laisser Vivre Les Squelettes is an extremely intense record. And yet, somehow, it feels a lot less chaotic than a lot of the band's American counterparts. Where a band like
Ampere relies a lot more on brutality, Daitro seems to rely on melody. The twin-guitar method is implemented with considerable skill, but the guitars themselves seem to be a lot less chunky or distorted than a number of the band's peers, and considerably more crisp and sharp. Additionally, Daitro don't seem to rely so much on build-ups or crescendos as bands like
Envy do, but their their music does focus on the release of tension. This is often done by way of harmony rather than dynamics, particularly when one guitar will play a single chord for a long period of time, causing a release of tension when the chord finally changes. Daitro also don't mind throwing in the occasional spoken word part, but these parts are generally set to a backing of moderate dynamics.
While Daitro are certainly an intense band musically, a good deal (perhaps the majority) of
Laisser Vivre Les Squelettes' intensity comes from the band's singer. To be blunt, his vocals absolutely shred and it's not necessary to understand his language for his raw, emotional delivery to be extremely affecting. If there is one small complaint to be made, however, it's that the words and syllables he uses occasionally sound a little a clunky. This, however, rarely detracts from the catchiness of the record and is more a problem of the language barrier than anything else. In fact, that the album is so catchy is quite possibly its most impressive quality. While the opening title track is undeniably brutal, it features some high lead guitar stabs that would not be out of place on an
Underoath or
Sunny Day Real Estate song. It's the combination of such elements as catchiness with intensity and the interesting releases of tension that makes
Laisser Vivre Les Squelettes such an impressive effort.
In my eyes,
Laisser Vivre Les Squelettes has everything that a good screamo album should; it's highly interesting, intense and it oozes emotion. Add these elements to the catchiness and the pretty, clean production and you have one of the best hardcore albums of recent years. If you're a fan of such music, you owe it to yourself to check out
Laisser Vivre Les Squelettes.
Pros
Intense screaming
Interesting use of instruments
Good production
Cons
Some cumbersome syllables in the lyrics
Recommended Tracks
Laisser Vivre Les Squelettes
Nous Sommes D'ici
Pourquoi Les Inconnus Restent-Ils Onconnus?
Final Rating: 4.5/5
