Once upon a time Igorrr.
Mad project of the french multi-instrumentalist Gautier Serre (guitar/vocals/orchestrations, Whourkr, Corpo-Mente), that started in 2005 and melts very diverse influences. The man works since 2008 in collaboration with Laure Le Prunenec (vocals), Laurent Lunoir (vocals) and Sylvain Bouvier (drums), and it’s since 2017, year of the third album’s release, that their popularity explodes. Released months ago, Spirituality and Distortion is Igorrr’s fourth album.
The four-piece band also counts on some renown musicians for this record, just like bassists Mike Leon (Soulfly, ex-Havok) and Erlend Caspersen (Abhorrent, ex-Deeds of Flesh, ex-Spawn of Possession), guitarist Martyn Clément (HardcoreAnalHydrogen) as well as cellists, keyboardists and sitar player…
When the album begin, you must be ready for nearly an hour of pure musical madness, dubbed with a limitless musical creativity. And I would like to draw your attention on “limitless”. Because it’s not unusual to hear bands who try to innovate in their domains, but it is very unusual to hear a soprano voice precede a dark rhythmic just like on Downgrade Desert, George Fisher (Cannibal Corpse, Serpentine Dominion, Voodoo Gods, ex-Spawn of Possession) screaming over a schizophrenic Electro beat for Parpaing, and finally blast beat over a musical ball song for Musette Maximum. However, this will happen. This, as well as Black Metal riffs that melts to Tibetan ambiences on Himalaya Massive Ritual, pure violence that joins female vocals’ beauty and a sitar for Overweight Poesy, a massive Electro.Noise that will be assaulted by a groovy rhythmic and visceral howlings on Paranoid Bulldozer Italiano… Amongst all those weird song names, Kung-Fu Chèvre was the chosen one to close this album, with this catchy and worrying mixing with unexpected rhythm changes.
I never tried to hide it, I never really get into Igorrr’s music. However, Spirituality and Distortion is a measured blend of madness, strength, blackness, creativity, convoluted parts, insane rhythm changes and pure talent. Because yes, its creator is a Machiavellian genius, and his music is the perfect reflection that you need to hear.
80/100