Five years on from their debut album Hasta la muetre si es preciso and their 2024 collaborative split album with Massa Nera, Californian Chicano screamo band Quiet Fear are finally back with their first solo full length album in half a decade. Their debut was a solid introduction to the band’s take on screamo in a way that blends the intensity and chaos of the genre’s forebearers with the melodic touches of bands such as Touche Amore whilst being equally as passionate in their performances as anyone else within the genre. With their long awaited follow up La Tierra Arriba / El Abismo Abajo, the band prove that they’re one to watch amongst the steady crop of bands screamo has been unleashing upon the globe in it’s current renaissance.
As with all of the most beloved screamo bands that have come and gone since the 90s and today, Quiet Fear primarily convey the emotion of their tracks through passionate screamed vocals. These are delivered by vocalist Jonatan Patino who mainly relies on the tried and tested high pitched screams which certainly do their job well. You can hear the pain in his voice throughout the entirety of La Tierra Arriba / El Abismo Abajo which compliments the other instruments and allows the listener to connect with the emotional intent. Patino also keeps things interesting by occasionally making use of clean singing such as on third track ‘Sophistry’ or low growls that certainly wouldn’t sound out of place on a black metal album on tracks like ‘Insurgentes’. None of these variations feel out of place or forced, and fit nicely with the atmosophere the tracks are trying to convey.
This is a factor that carries over to the lyrics. A fair few songs on this album are in Spanish, but this does not detract from the enjoyment as it does not lessen the impact or intent of the songs as the pain drenched vocal performance shows that emotion is a universal concept that can be felt regardless of understanding the context behind the pain. However, the band also switches things up between songs and have a handful of tracks with lyrics written in English. The band state the intent of this is not stylistic, but merely a reflection of the reality of the world we live in. With the screams performed with a clarity that leaves no word to be misunderstood, this allows for lines such as “Clipping my own wings with an intent to soar” from ‘Metathesiopia’ to hit us in our emotional core like all great screamo bands should.
Whilst the vocals are the beating heart of this album, they are complimented by some excellent guitar work from guitarist Christopher Tortoledo. In spite of not being quite as chaotic and intense as the likes of pageninetynine and Orchid, it’s still able to pack a punch whilst also having a melodic sense. Some segments sound reminiscent of Boneflower but with a heavier edge. Lead single and second track ‘Reten’ is a great example of everything the guitar work on the album has to offer, opening with fast paced chord progressions before quickly making way for more introspective sounding arpeggiated chords. The songs on the album all manage to fluidly switch between ferocious and calm seamlessly with the raw vocals bridging everything together.
Quiet Fear might not have redefined screamo with La Tierra Arriba/El Abismo Abajo, but they have managed to produce a high quality collection of songs that any fan of the genre is sure to appreciate. It shows a real growth and progression from their debut and proves that the fire they ignited is sure to continue to burn brightly for years to come.