Saetia

Collected (2016)

eatdogs

This was a nice surprise from 2016 that many probably slept

on. I mean, who really cares about the “cult” band Saetia? Well apparently,

Jeremy Bolm does, and thanks to his hard work and Secret Voice label, he has

gathered the entire discography of the band (minus the live recordings) and put

it out on vinyl for those diehards that need more than just digital copies. For

a long while, it has been very difficult to get your hands on Saetia’s limited

catalogue of music on vinyl. With this release, fans can now drop the needle

down on their very own collection, and jam some awesome mid 90’s screamo.

Just to briefly touch on the band, Saetia existed from 1997

to 2000 and in that short time helped establish a niche genre in the punk

community which everyone should know about by now since it’s 2017. However, for

those just discovering the rabbit hole that is punk, Saetia are a good starting

point.

Saetia’s music, as stated in the wonderful retrospective liner

notes by lead singer Billy Werner, was made by close friends who all loved punk

and the local scene. Lyrically this is not Shakespeare, nor was it trying to

be. Honestly and youthfulness are what you get here and to have it any other

way would be a detriment to the collection.

In later years, certain “cult” bands tend to reunite and

sometimes release new music. If the stars align correctly, the music might turn

out great! However, in some cases it is more like a wet fart… Saetia came and

went in flash it seems and over time, they have gained more fans than ever

before. They have never reunited and in turn, have not blemished their legacy.

That’s just how some cult bands do. Same can be said for acts like Botch, Orchid,

Fugazi, and Joy Division. The music lives forever.

Now as for the package itself, you get a nice treat here.

The music is on double black vinyl at 180 grams. Never has this music sounded

so clear. The records are very solid and there is no surface noise, which is

great when you jam their older material like the cassette demo on Side-D. The

artwork is muted and minimalistic, to the point really. Inside are several

black and white photos along with show flyers that show amazing lineups you

would never have expected to happen. The most important part of the package,

besides the lyrics, are the liner notes from Billy as well as guitarist Adam Marino,

and bassist Colin Bartoldus. Members talk on their history with the band, and

what is was like to be touring and playing shows at such young ages. Billy’s

reflections on the passing of their friend and original bassist Alex Madara, is

touching and shows how close nit these kids were.

Without an act like Saetia you wouldn’t have Touché Amoré.

Jeremy Bolm acknowledges this and did everyone a solid by putting this out. If

you are caught up in the current scene that uses the words “Screamo” or “Skramz”

then do yourself a favor and shut that stuff off and listen to this little band

from New York that, like I always say, did it better. Dig it…

(*note* on the original Retrospective release from Level

Plane, at the very end was a live set at the ABC No Rio in spring 1999. Secret

Voice decided to keep the collection pure with just their studio output and the

live at Rio set is released separately on Cassette from Secret Voice.)