I almost find it impossible to believe that this band hasn’t been covered before on this site. It’s been over four years now since this band’s first and only release, Still, and the fact that it’s flown under our radar this whole time is bizarre. I almost want to apologize for not bringing these guys up sooner, honestly.
“Simon,” you may be asking, “why the heck are Dionaea so special that you want to say sorry for not covering them up until this point?” Well, I’m glad you asked. For that, I’m just going to ask that all of you inquisitive souls just follow over after the jump and listen real quick to the sort of crazy music that this New Jerseyan trio plays.
Go on, I’ll wait a few minutes so you can really get into the meat of the 14-minute (!!!) opener.
Right?!! What the hell is going on here? How do these geniuses so neatly fuse together the two distinct worlds of post-rock and mathcore, with a little bit of screamo thrown in for good measure? How is this possible? Who are these people and why haven’t they recorded more music?!
In all seriousness, uncovering the treasure trove that is Still was a major “holy shit” moment for me because of how perfectly the disparate natures of these two genres combine into something entirely more than music. Even though this release is just slightly under 30 minutes, the sheer range and power of emotions conjured up here is incredible, as is the talent on display. Everything sounds real and raw, from the beautifully lush moments of post-rock crescendo to the blazingly-fast atonal maniac mathcore. The vocals are sparse, yet well integrated into the instrumentation, and although these songs are certainly made of many different parts, Dionaea evades the Frankenstein-esque disjointedness that usually accompanies bands that try to cram this many riffs into a single track.
I can’t think of a single person I wouldn’t recommend this band to. They’re emotive, dynamic, and captivating, constantly shifting forms through each minute in a way that evades my dictational capabilities. To successfully meld such distinct, idiosyncratic genres together at all is a feat to be lauded, to do it this well is simply unheard of. Until now, that is.
-SH