Sheesh, Raein have a billion and one things all coming out at once, must be something in the water in Italy what with them and La Quiete – bands that suddenly get all kinds of productive at once. Anyway. Raein made a very good LP last year I think. One of the best emo records to come out of Europe in quite some time. This song kind of takes things a step on from that, maintaining a good standard of quality although on its own this one track seems a little isolated. They play a familiar style of screamy emo that you could mistake for a French band such as Peu Etre or Alcatraz if you didn’t know better. Lots of build ups to lovely thick walls of guitar, layered with totally gut wrenching, crybaby screaming and frantic emo grooves. This song boils over nicely as it rumbles along, there is plenty of scope for rolling on the floor here. Good stuff. Drags on a bit towards the end though, and should have ended when the distortion all fades out instead of coming back in with the FX-ed up guitars that make it sound like an Antarctica cast off (or whichever band Antarctica ripped off the most if you prefer).
Phoenix Bodies abuse my ears on the flip filling their entire side with an aural destruction, full on screamo chaos circa 1999/2000. In debt to Racebannon, Witching Hour and Honeywell in equal measure, as well as some arse-crushingly heavy bands that I am not familiar with, this is the best Phoenix Bodies I have heard though to be honest I haven’t gone out of my way to listen to their brain melts. Simply because I can’t hack music this brutal. There is some total Honeywell worship going on here at times though, which makes me smile a whole lot. Only thing going against that: they have a decent recording. Pfft.
Fine split. I enjoyed the Bodies more than I expected to, and Raein stay ace.