So these French metallers have had a pretty steady output over the last seven years of their existence, twisting and stretching their caustic sound, evolving even as their lineup has shifted and changed. The core guys have kept the core heart intact, and if you were a fan of FANGE before this, it’s safe to say you’ll remain a fan and probably gain a greater appreciation of their sound. Some of us haven’t even heard of the band, and Pudeur is our introduction to their soundscapes that include some Death riffing, lots of circular rhythms, and plenty of Industrial grit and grime.
Label: Throatruiner Records
This is most certainly aggressive and punishing. Opener “Soleils Vaincus” sets the table, with aggressive vocals, punishing guitars, and a constant, panic-filled atmosphere. The guys rollick right along, heads down, chewing up the ground as they smash and pummel. And this is just the beginning, song one flowing into song two as if they weren’t separate entities but instead conjoined twins. “A Tombeaux Ouverts” gets really mechanical, sounding like a busted recording from some Terminator future, where broken machines are trying to approximate human heavy metal. The whole thing feels like broken glass grinding in churning cogs. If this is your thing, you’ll be in heaven. “Genuflexion” follows and starts out kind of doomy before the pummeling begins anew.
This one crawls as it punches, with some terrific riffing to go along with the aural terror that is the vocals. Probably it’s my favorite track because it doesn’t feel as suffocating and breathes more (although I won’t lie, it still stuffs a pillow over your face). The next couple of songs are more of the same, the band expanding on the atmospherics a bit while running over the same ground they’ve already covered. This isn’t a negative criticism. They’re doing what they do, and they do it well. “Dieux Gemissants” returns to the mechanical/industrial scraping, serving almost as a ballad in comparison to the rest of the record. But don’t let that fool you; it’s still mean as hell. The song feels like an interrupted transmission from the future, snatched from the airwaves and translated through modern and inadequate technology. Closer “Total Serpent” is the final word, the band dragging a bloodied and gnarled corpse across the finish line. There is no hope here and no release. Just grinding, industrial riffing.
Overall, this one was pretty good. This isn’t my thing but I totally get where they’re coming from, and people into this bionic fusion of Death and Industrial will most probably piss their pants over it. My biggest problem is that I don’t like drum machines. They employ the effect well, and you really can’t tell unless you know, but it does hinder my enjoyment somewhat. Still, you do what you have to do to get your music out there, and kudos to them for releasing a really good, scary record.
