Are you as impatient as me when it comes to finding new albums at the start of a new year? To be fair, we haven’t gotten particularly far into 2024—but out of everything that has passed through my ears so far, post-hardcore release Quatro Vientos // Cinco Soles has come the closest to scratching that new-music-itch. Being a split, it’s pretty common for this type of collaboration to feel patchy, but to my surprise the album sound is very cohesive between the different acts. Not only that, Massa Nera‘s penchant towards writing tracks that strike an emotional chord with the listener complements Quiet Fear‘s slightly more energetic and punchy formula.
In 2022, Massa Nera‘s Derramar | Querer | Borrar was a late in the year December release that punched a hole through my top 10 list. Their strength? A remarkable ability to musically express existential dissent in a way that deeply resonates with the listener—and I don’t think they’ve lost that on this split. The track “Bloated” opens Quatro Vientos // Cinco Soles with a fierce scream cutting through the doom-laden guitar feedback—to speeding up in tempo and then eventually slowing down again with a muted sadness à la trademark Massa Nera. As for the album structure, the tracks alternate between the different acts for 3 tracks each, then conjoin the bands in closer “Nueva Llama”. This is a good decision cause it further cements the unity of the split.
Not being previously familiar with Quiet Fear, I do really like the contrast between them and Massa Nera. They add an interesting flair to the album which contributes to a more varied expression, and that’s just another advantage together with the pleasant album length (27 minutes) and the musical competence of both of the bands. For example, Quiet Fear‘s track “N.U.M.” has a really interesting rhythmic approach with a stand out bass performance—whereas Massa Nera tend to focus more on building tracks where the songwriting moves like water through calm creeks and strong rivers. I can only point to the river but you gotta take the plunge.
