Klone continues its journey with its seventh album.
Since 1999 (or 1995 under the name Sowat), the French band has been playing with diverse influences. In 2023, Guillaume Bernard (guitar), Matthieu Metzger (keyboards), Yann Ligner (vocals, ex-Mistaken Element), Enzo Alfano (bass), Morgan Berthet (drums, Myrath, Kadinja, Dyslesia, ex-ETHS) and Aldrick Guadagnino (guitar, Step in Fluid, Blaspheme) announced the release of Meanwhile, on KScope Music.
The album begins with the haunting Within Reach, a fairly progressive and heady composition that places dissonant harmonics with a heavy and ominous basis, as well as controlled clean vocals. The mix suddenly flares up to become more intense and aggressive before calming down again to lead us to Blink of an Eye and its haunting sweetness. We find quite similar elements as well as some crazier parts like bass leads or keyboards, but also some Post-Rock influences in the rhythmic, then the final climax releases us to let Bystander reveal its complexity, but also its sweetness. The instrumental imperceptibly strengthens before finally exploding, then Scarcity develops melancholic tones while placing soaring tones to let the vocalist express himself. Elusive returns to catchy sounds with energetic peaks which feed the contrast with the slower and heavier elements, mixing luminous sounds with a certain touch of darkness which will disappear on Apnea and its contagious sweetness. The calm will not last, as the band will play with more energetic patterns while keeping its music’s enchanting elements, before letting The Unknown immediately give way to heavier and more aggressive parts. If the title remains extremely coherent, we will find some madness at the end, followed by Night and Day and its quietness, nuanced by touches of powerful and lively rage. The album continues with Disobedience and its melodious flights that the group couples with dynamic drums and progressive vocal patterns, then Meanwhile comes to close it with its Progressive waves making quietness, darkness, raw energy and soaring sounds collide.
The musical journey proposed by Klone is as rich as diversified. With Meanwhile, the band doesn’t hesitate to draw from its numerous influences to build a soaring, vibrant and intense sound, which also has some moments of madness and calm.
85/100