With the recent resurgence in the archetypal screamo sound popularized by Gravity Records in the late '90s, few bands remain as true-to-form as Loma Prieta. Grandiose post-rock guitar lines, the relentless abrasion of grind, and the unbridled display of emotion captured on hardcore and emo records can all be found on this succinct five song, seven minute split from Loma Prieta and Italian screamo act Raein.
Brash and caustic with a sound similar to bands like Pg. 99 and Ampere, Loma Prieta ("dark mountain" in Spanish) have released consistently great records, with 2012's I.V. seeing the band at their heaviest yet. Their path of destruction continues here with the band delivering brutish and to-the-point emoviolence. "Mansion Fire," at two minutes, is their longest song on the split. It begins with pummeling blastbeats as a howling, looped guitar riff adds a claustrophobic sense of anxiety to the track. There is no restitution to be found on these songs, even the cover of Black Flag's "Spray Paint" somehow multiplies its malevolence.
The Raein song begins with an angular, repeated riff reminiscent of Hot Cross in their prime. Raein are masterful in their use of group vocals to create an overwhelming sense of energy and intimacy in their music. It was perfected on songs like "Tiger Suit" and used to great effect on the first half of "Amore E Guerra." The second half of the song is built around a swirling Explosions in the Sky-esque guitar riff that slowly fades into the static sound of something mechanical and circular.
Few genres capture the sheer intensity that screamo can, and few bands do it as well as Loma Prieta. Their most recent album, I.V., saw the band creating longer songs upwards of three minutes and experimenting with sludgy and drone passages. The songs presented on this record are a return to the dense and chaotic sound that is their foundation, the bands maturation coming with an added layer of viciousness.
