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Gorgeous
stuff. “Gas in Veins”, the instrumental that opens this
nearly flawless atmospheric album, is the perfect
introduction to what this French band is about to
unleash. And that’s a rampant and profound exercise in
post punk informed black metal. The track is a growing
instrumental; from incandescent birth moves to the
organic bottom of an undistorted bass, the trembling
static of the guitar and a mid tempo beat. About halfway
through Amesoeurs reveal themselves as wilder beasts
playing a wilder beat turned to black metal speed.
Gorgeous stuff indeed.
The rest of
the album is not much different in the sense that it doesn’t
forego black metal, post punk and even pop for something else.
“Les Ruches Malades” brims with gothic post punk allure. The
female vocals in French of Audrey Sylvain may be too sweet for
some, but Amesoeurs reek of nothing. This is no gothic metal and
there is no pussy-footing. The whole track is way more into
post punk atmospherics than metal in your face attitude.
“Heurt” is
heavy and shoegaze. There is more of a metallic influence to it.
The guitar is mean though. And the seven minutes of
“Recueillement” are filled with necro black metal vocals and a
controlled mid tempo, along with the nascent feeling that this
is a different song in the second half. Whatever black metal
this is, the genre has never been so pretty. Whatever post punk
Amesoeurs has, the genre has never sounded so touched by evil.
“Feux
Semblants” has an optimistic last couple of minutes. The way the
band picks up
the mood is uplifting and positive. “Trouble” is angry. A
potent, yet familiar tune where fixated guitars, done and
overdone drum beats and angry vocalizations engulf the quiet
passages of the album in hellish fire.
It’s a solid
effort nonetheless. Amesoeurs sound like heartbroken metalheads,
unable to break out of character they do what they do best,
embellish their metal in sadder notes, melancholic moods, and
surprisingly, some seconds of hope.
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