Sed Non Satiata

Sed Non Satiata

Written by: PP on 18/10/2010 22:00:14

Whilst modern screamo bands sound and look like the flavor of the week to this scribe, those few acts focusing on the origins of the style - the sound some nowadays refer to as 'skramz' - have continued to maintain my interest in the genre. Maybe it's because they focus on the very core of emotional hardcore / post-hardcore: the introspective writing, which in turn shows on record through carefully constructed and deeply layered atmospheres. Where beauty can be found in the midst of the chaos, you see, and where the structures feel natural and well though-out instead of contrived and, yes, fake.

Sed Non Satiata from France belong to this elite group of bands whose retrospective approach to screamo is precisely what makes them so good. They share a great deal in common with the Norwegians in Kaospilot, the Swedes in older Traktor records, screamo pioneers Saetia and even The Monaco Heartattack from Malaysia in that the focus is on chaotic but rich and detailed soundscapes that draw heavy influence from the likes of Envy at every occasion. Clean vocals and screams are evenly used, but they're not at the forefront of the sound. You see, the key to understanding bands like Sed Non Satiata and indeed their self-titled release is that the listener is left largely at his own. There aren't many catchy parts here. Not much to mosh along to or stuff like that. The focus is so much on all-encompassing layered atmospheres that you really have to be paying fully attention in order to absorb it properly.

As a result, it's a fairly consuming album to listen to, and this is also its biggest weakness. While it's not difficult to identify the beautiful sonic decisions that make the sound simultanouesly so calm and chaos-oriented, it can be hard to not wish for more explosive vocal sections like those in the best track on the album, "Les Colonnes De Soie". But as long as you're willing to sacrifice the fact that this is an epic, soundscape oriented album that's missing envy's more memorable vocal sections, you'll still discover an entirely decent, very European-sounding original screamo sound underneath.

Download: Les Colonnes De Soie
For the fans of: Kaospilot, Saetia, envy
Listen: Myspace

Release date 2010
Purepainsugar / Alchimia / Puzzle Records / Error Records / Aspidistra

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