La Quiete

Several years ago La Quiete unleashed La Fine Non è La Fine, a rare full-length effort that fell directly within their constant output of brief vinyl releases. And today, the record remains one of the best screamo albums of the last five years, and possibly the best underground release Italy's had to offer in that time.

Quite simply, La Quiete thrives on drawing beauty from chaos. A percussive backbone rapidly changes between lightning-fast flailing and tempered hits, pushing forward cathartic guitars and pained, layered screams. The band put on violent display after violent display, taking from Orchid's distraught, overwhelming nature as they always have but dabbing it with multiple moments of restraint and a constant thrush of aching chords and vocal yelps.

Opener "Raid Aereo Sul Paese Delle Farfalle" contains an intense, barreling intro to get things started after 20 seconds of increasing, building feedback and an erupting, punctually short gang shout over solely racketing drums at one point; you'll also literally feel your heart sink to the bottom of your stomach when the riff they use to transition to the breakdown comes. From there, moments of discord and melancholy frequently appear, either separately or in a tumultuous collision. "Metempsicosi Del Fine Ultimo: Nevrastenica Oscillazione Fra Poli Estremi" plays with some rhythmic riffs in its middle before a percussive beatdown and clenched-eyes screaming takes over. Side A closer "Ciò Che Non Siamo Ciò Che Non Vogliamo" spins the record to its end wonderfully, repetitively crashing drums and guitars to each other in a perfect fade. On the other side is "Uncaged," a breathless number in and of itself, and a closing title track that offers a passage of heartstring-tugging, carefully plucked octaves to finish its last minute.

Admittedly, La Fine Non è La Fine sounds a little better through a good pair of headphones than on the standard record player it requires. There are so many little nuances that might go unnoticed, it'd be a shame to miss out on them.

Either way, La Fine Non è La Fine is practically a genre masterpiece. Hopefully La Quiete not only brings their masterfully crafted songs to the States again soon, but lasts long enough to span a wide discography that will leave a long-lasting, international influence on the scene, as it's already begun to do.