Welcome to Apogée.
The french duo created by Ron (instruments) and Nathan (vocals) offers us From the Shallows of a Consumed Earth, its first EP, in 2022.
The first observation which is obvious with Cradle Full of Scum, the first track, is that the band plays Old School. Screams are controlled, just like this unhealthy groove and those dissonant harmonics, which drive us into violence before the oppressive Brainless People and its weighing introduction. The song quickly reconnects with Old School Black/Death to unveil a raw but still quite haunting and melodic sound, which accentuates on the melancholic Hiding from my Wrath. The composition unveils pessimistic tones and an oppressive slowness before the final speeds up, then All you Deserve offers some Crust/Punk-oriented influences which enhance the compositions’ raw strength. Enslavement makes more soaring and dissonant tones respawn, welcoming an effective double kick linked to Black/Thrash influences, then F.A.I.L. will unveil a crushing pessimism with this heavy sample. Whether Black Metal becomes very slow and weighing, it also shows come epic and oppressive parts, which will slow down before offering an orchestral final which suddenly drops us.
Without any pun, Apogée has an interesting name. From the Shallows of a Consumed Earth can play with intensity, melodies and orchestrations, but above all the EP plays with progression.
85/100