If you’ve been following along at home, you’ll remember that I recently realized that I like skramz. That brings up a problem though: there’s an awful lot for me to catch up on.

Luckily, most albums in the genre don’t get past the thirty-minute mark. Double luckily, French outfit Aussitôt Mort (translation: As Soon as Dead) released this compilation of their first two releases in a handy package that clocks in just over an hour. While compilations aren’t my first choice (especially when the album art for Montuenga is so good), it’s hard to complain about this collection of songs that combine the blistering passion of screamo with elements of post rock and sludge metal.

As I’ve learned, there’s a lovely part of the skramz scene that is as indebted to post rock as it is hardcore. I shouldn’t be surprised—even as much as envy has felt like an outlier to me among the pioneers of the genre, they are, after all, one of the most influential bands in that community. And that side of screamo scratches several itches inside my brain. Aussitôt Mort are as steady a standard bearer as any other bands in the scene, their intricate compositions offering interwoven guitar melodies, crushing riffage, and spacious soundscapes, all topped with a fiery sheen of screamed vocals.

Discographie is a bit of a misnomer—or rather, it’s a bit early for its claim, as they had at least two records since this compilation. But, this package collects the 2006 release 6 Songs, which itself repackaged four songs from their demo EP, and the sprawling Montuenga from 2007. While the first disc is absolutely no slouch, Montuenga is where they really shine. The disparate threads of their influences fray out into ever-unraveling strands, delving deeper into the corners of their influences.

Opener “Mort! Mort! Mort!” blows the doors off the hinges with a doomy riff that settles into a Russian Circles-esque groove with cello, reigniting with a chunky metal riff that feels more post metal than post hardcore. Lest you think they’ve abandoned the core ethos of screamo, the next track “Une heure plus tard” (“One hour later”) punctuates the growly chord changes with a skittering drum beat and stabbing guitars while the vocals shout rather than scream. Later in the disc, “Le kid de la plage” (“The Beach Kid”) pulls heavy into post rock orchestration, opening with a duet of spindly acoustic guitar and flitting xylophone before crashing into full volume.

And even without my recent skramz revelation, Aussitôt Mort likely would have caught my attention at any point in my musical journey. My emo phase would have caught onto the unfiltered passion. My indie phase would have been entranced by the lush orchestral flourishes. My blackgaze phase (ongoing) would have been caught in the cross-pollination of influences between Aussitôt Mort and the rest of the French metal scene (read: Alcest). I have a feeling that this collection will be a close companion to my turntable (when my wife isn’t in the room, of course).