I'm a little late here, but Lindin, New Jersey's Massa Nera just released their follow-up to 2022's excellent Derramar | Querer | Borrar on October 31st this year via Persistent Vision Records. The Emptiness Of All Things is the third feature-length from this long-time blog favourite, and with this latest record the band finds themselves confronting the existential overhang of the climate crisis with a dynamic sonic blend of convulsive discordance and atmospheric melody, utilizing their most varied vocal work to-date to capture the full emotional spectrum of this calamity in extraordinarily resonant and experimental fashion.
You can listen or download the album below. The band have commendably removed their work from all streaming services, all of which in some way directly benefit corporate/defense spending interests, all things their art directly stands in opposition to. This album encapsulation the spirit of that, as a despairing yet defiant (especially its closing track) reflection of the social and emotional zeitgeist it was borne out of.
4 bands, 4 blogs, 1 amazing split. I'm incredibly happy to present the PremieRing, a project set up by four different blogs to each premiere one band from this new four-way split. To start things off, I was lucky enough to get Massa Nera, a Sophie's Floorboard favourite. You might remember them from last year's LP Los Pensamientos De Una Cara Palida, a modern screamo essential. This five-piece New Jersey band are back with a new offering of two tracks to kick off this split. You can check out the exclusive stream of these new songs below, as well as pre-order information and links to the other blogs in the PremieRing. Recording info for these tracks is as follows:
Allen Nuñez - Guitar & Vocals
Christopher Rodriguez - Guitar & Vocals
David Mocada - Bass & Vocals
John Rodriguez - Vocals
Mark Boulanger - Drums
Additional vocals on "Doing Nothing For Others Is The Undoing Of Ourselves" by Steve Roche
Tracked and Mixed by Steve Roche at Permanent Hearing Damage
Mastered by Carl Saff at Saff Mastering
The first track offered up here is "Un Mal Cola De Hadas", which kicks off with some clean, looming melodic riffing, a clear sign of the band's technical prowess. After some instrumental mingling, the vocals kick in, with some furious kit-shredding drums behind them. They utilize their many vocalists well, trading lines off each other before coming together in climatic, shouted unison. The guitars hammer out heavy dissonant chords, while the bass builds eerie lines in the back. This song blends hints of melody into angular rhythmic patterns, with every instrument getting a chance to shine amidst the cathartic chaos. As it comes to close, it breathes as it opens, giving the listener a second to recover before track 2 bludgeons again.
"Doing Nothing For Others Is The Undoing Of Ourselves" opens with an incredible rhythmic passage, with the bass and drums creating an almost dance-y vibe, intertwined with the guitar's clean arpeggios. Just when the track sounds like its about to explode, they pull back and continue at the same level when some of the most impassioned vocals in recent history find a way to yelp themselves in. The vocals only build in intensity as the instrumental winds behind them. Sure enough, the blast beat climax this track has been teasing at finally hits, and its a glorious mesh of heavy bass, snare insanity, and guitar tremolos. On the way out, after all the instruments have rung out, there's one final, lonesome scream, a perfect way to end a track that's taken the listener to a couple of different places in a relatively short span of time. This band never ceases to amaze with the material they put out, and these new splits track are no different.
Keep these on repeat for a bit, and then check out the remainder of this split over at the incredible blogs listed below. I assure you this is one you do not want to miss. Enjoy.
