French black collective Seth return with a vision of the 18th century told through their latest release La France Des Maudits. Strong opener Paris Des Maléfices is flooded with atmospherics and the interweaving of tempo is really engaging and nicely sets up the concept for the album which has been written entirely in French Alexandrine by vocalist Saint Vincent, this is compliment well with sheer ferocity tinged with some great soundscapes on Et Que Vive Le Diable!
Starting off with a slightly slower more purposeful approach is La Destruction Des Reliques which then erupts into a furious crescendo with blistering soundscapes before the band take more of a narrative approach for follow up track Dans Le Cœur Un Poignard, laden with more emotive tones it certainly stands out as a highlight track. A Classical Interlude in the form of Marianne breaks up the album nicely, whilst Ivre Du Sang Des Saints forges on as an emblem of decaying faith for a godforsaken era.
Incorporating subtle piano elements is Insurrection which is one the albums longest track which is paired the follow up with the eight minute Le Vin Du Condamne – This section is particular really presents the albums concept with a sweeping grander which is then closed with the albums closing bonus track Initials B.B which ends this chapter into the enlightening darkness of Paris.
Plein de vile repulsion. 9/10
Diskord/ATVM – Bipolarities (Transcending Obscurity Records) [Zak Skane]
To open up this split EP, Diskord unleashes their toxic marriage of mathcore meets classic technical death metal with their opening track Onwards To Nowhere with it starting with some classic Death sounding basslines before we slammed in the face with some frantic energetic technical death metal riffage that consists of furious single note lines whilst also incorporating Dillinger Escape Plan styled stabs chords in the mix. The drums playing along to this track throw in some technical beats and fills which sound like the track is not recorded to a click or have been edited to the grid which gives this feel of the whole track being on the verge of collapse.
Plein de vile repulsion. 9/10
Diskord/ATVM – Bipolarities (Transcending Obscurity Records) [Zak Skane]
To open up this split EP, Diskord unleashes their toxic marriage of mathcore meets classic technical death metal with their opening track Onwards To Nowhere with it starting with some classic Death sounding basslines before we slammed in the face with some frantic energetic technical death metal riffage that consists of furious single note lines whilst also incorporating Dillinger Escape Plan styled stabs chords in the mix. The drums playing along to this track throw in some technical beats and fills which sound like the track is not recorded to a click or have been edited to the grid which gives this feel of the whole track being on the verge of collapse.
Pass The Baton sounds like Mr Bungle on steroids with it’s blend of 90’s rock swinging grooves that you would hear from a Primus song to then transitioning to old school Cannibal Corpse sections which feature frantic tremolo picking and blast beats delivered with human feel followed by some Dillinger Escape Plan styled dissonance. Shivering As We Share Our Hides focuses on more progressive death metal territory whilst the bass is pushed to front and centre of the mix creating some bowl turning thick tones as it which complements some of the heavy half time moments in this track.
In comparison to the rest of the tracks Diskord bring in more Death and A Job for a Cowboy vibes on Shivering As We Share Our Hides. Cogged Pother ends Discord collaboration on this split EP with the continuation of their death metal meets mathcore delivery whilst bringing in some cowbell accented beats from the drums followed by some slayer styled leads.
ATVM comes in with a more polished approached with the drums sounding a lot more snapped grid tight whilst the rest of the instrumentation becomes a lot more locked in place. Their opening song Cancer begins with some slapping bass lines that are captured with crystal clean precision followed by the technical legato guitar lines which are accompanied….oddly….by samba styled drum beats that crazily complement the guitar lines surprisingly well.
This then followed by selective picked riffs, proggy odd time signature passages and a beatdown that starts to get quite repetitive three quarters through out the song before it is finished with some break neck fast blast beats and shredding riffs. The closing track Morphine mixes everything from precise technical death metal riffage to the frantically strummed minor toned blackmetal shoegazes to transitioning into some Santana styled Latin sections that feature soulful solos and rumba styled beats.
The split E.P hosted by Diskord and ATVM brings us endless chaotic pandemonium with the ravenous transitions with its smash up of old school technical death metal of the likes Death whilst mixing it with the ravenous Dillinger Escape Plan chaos to the 90’s kookiness of Mr Bungle from Diskord. This is then followed by quite the same characteristics with AVTM but in a more polished form whilst also coming off more dynamic and versatile in the process, especially with the song Cancer that features some sleek Latin grooves mixed with technical death metal. if you like you e.ps pedal to the metal down a road of chaos this split 6 track is worth checking out. 7/10
Endless Floods - Rites Futurs (Breathe Plastic Records) [James Jackson]
The fourth album from French doom metal act Endless Floods, who originally formed in 2015, comes after a five year hiatus, the band reforming with a new line up, joining two out of the original three members. Theirs is an experimental take on the overarching doom genre, blending ambient sounds with the more traditional melancholy music and according to the band, thematically the album is built around the rite of passage.
Album opener, L Eclair, holds an almost folksy feel to its vocal performance, as male and female vocals contrast and collaborate, a trait of Shoegaze, a genre reference within the band bio that I had to look up; and I wholeheartedly agree, for the words “ethereal” and “obscured” are used to describe the vocals which sums up the ritualistic feel that I took from this.
There’s a pattern throughout the album that I, obviously, am introduced to within this first song, musically the track ebbs and flows, stripped down at times to something little more than a guitar melody and a solemn drum beat, to a full band momentum the next, though always melancholy, heavily relying upon atmospherics and time changes rather than lead melodies, though these are present but not as prominent as I’ve heard from other bands within the genre of doom.
I’ve found that first impressions are what counts when doing these reviews and whilst I have liked the album, I think there’s more to it that can only be gleaned from giving it a more thorough listen. 6/10
Gorgonchrist - And Justice For Balls (Road To Masochist) [GC]
I must admit I am already slightly dubious about this album from the comedy title and then I have just had a look at the actual song titles, and they don’t get any better! But can’t judge a book by the cover or title in this case!
I must admit I am already slightly dubious about this album from the comedy title and then I have just had a look at the actual song titles, and they don’t get any better! But can’t judge a book by the cover or title in this case!
It all starts with Toaster Inferno that is a mix of hardcore punk but with a sludgy sound to the guitars and some black metal inspired vocals, it’s a fast and furious start to proceedings but they also manage to throw in some groove filled break sections, now Pork Sword Of Damocles is the first of the comedy titles and its pretty much as before some punk infused sludge but this time with a more death metal vocal approach and the mixing up of sections here does give a more bulked out sound to the song but it gets a bit samey about halfway in and needs to be shorter for me.
The Dragons Treasure is a more of a doomy death metal approach to begin with and adds in a sprinkle of thrash as well and has some chugging riffs and has an ok groove all the way through, but I already have an issue which is the songs do get very repetitive very quickly and 3 songs in that does not bode well, then they just completely take the piss on Questions From A Victorian Mortuary Part 4 and unfortunately not in a good way as it’s in a completely childish way with the only lyrics being ‘’ who’s that wanker waking out the window’’ repeated in a not very amusing way it’s just unnecessary and not really even very funny, Legs Of A Penguin is back to the thrashy death metal of previous songs which is again just ok and I am glad I haven’t got a lyric sheet because I imagine that would be shockingly bad!
And then just like that comes chapter 6 in the stupid song title book I Cum Brûlé and once again it’s a passable thrash/death metal track but it’s about here that I get a bit fed up with what I am hearing, it’s all just a bit boring and repetitive and doesn’t inspire anything and the humour is just so childish and poor you almost cant believe grown men decided to write these songs and that there might be an audience for this? Anal Civilisations starts off with a doomy, slow riff that then just get repeated for a bit and when the song kicks in it is just all too flat and pedestrian it huffs, and puffs but doesn’t blow anything away and is at least 4 minutes longer than it needs to be.
Moving on we get (sighs heavily) Questions From A Victorian Mortuary Part 69 how fun and rude 69?! LOL! My eyes now begin to start rolling into the back of my head with such force I almost fell off my chair, why they thought another one of these comedy tracks was needed is anyone’s guess? Satanic Cunt Slicer musically is probably the standout track as it pays homage to lo-fi 80’s death metal but once again everything gets so repetitive so quickly I know I won’t miss anything so end up skipping ahead to Monkey Pump which is another sort of mid paced 80’s death metal homage and that familiar stupid humour kicks in about hallway through and it all just ends up sounding stupid and pointless.
I then thank god then that Dr Lovefire is the last song I will ever listen to by Gorgonchrist until I see its 7:22 long which is at least 7:21 to long for me now and I just have to give up an call it quits. This album was an uphill struggle to get through, it started just sort of being maybe ok but very quickly got worse and worse.
To think there is a market for this sort of low quality ‘’comedy’’ metal is both alarming and annoying as someone may genuinely miss out on a decent band and be taken in by the ‘’LOL! Look at our funny song titles aren’t we MAD??’’ and that would be a crime because there is nothing on And Justice For Balls that should make anyone even the vaguest bit interested in listening to it. 2/10
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