Review Summary: Brilliant, as expected.
The emotional hardcore heroes behind Swedish band, Suis La Lune, have been releasing a decent amount of material (sparsely, mind you) over the years, aggregating praise and a modest following along the way; all without fully “breaking out.” With each recording, the band furthers its legacy despite new material actually being few and far between. But this is where Suis La Lune has excelled, keeping its name out there while still retaining an air of mystery. 2008’s
Heir was a defining moment in its career and did much to compound the “underground champions” status, but fans have been aching for a follow up to their 2006 full-length debut,
Quiet, Pull the Strings. Melodic instrumentation married to a harsh vocal delivery has made Suis La Lune’s sound a loving presence in the genre and its latest,
Riala, only furthers that sentiment.
“Cornea” opens things with a bang, inflicting listeners with one of the album’s most rapid and chaotic songs. Featuring the typical melody laden segments, moments of the song actually feel quite beautiful. The mixture of cleans and yells in regards to vocals is welcome, as the variety keeps things interesting throughout. Although “Cornea” and the few songs that follow it are great in their own right, the record is a bit slow to start. It isn’t until the album’s fifth song, “In Confidence,” that the rather formulaic design is broken. Said song is almost anthem-like in its delivery, with bold vocals lines driving the latter half of the track. Taking a page from almost every scream group from the last ten years, Suis La Lune adds a bit of post-rock influences to boot. Although subtle, the tremolo picked lead into the climax cannot help but make one evoke mental images of Envy and City of Caterpillar, especially when such a lovely guitar tone is employed. “All That Meant Something” follows suit as its cathartic midsection has a very sing-along vibe with vocalist Kris yelling “You took it away” with a passionate delivery. “Remorse” mixes things up a bit by including the “twinkly” sounds that has become so pervasive in the scene, a sound shared by much of the album’s 10 tracks.
Riala has all the makings for one of 2012’s best emotional hardcore records. Suis La Lune has proven itself before and its does so yet again, beautifully. The band does a tremendous job combining multiple elements of the genre into a sound that comes off as wholly original.
Riala is the perfect progression for a band that has already left quite a mark, and a must hear for genre aficionados.
