Lying Figures shapes its future.
Seven years after their last release, the duo Frédéric Simon (vocals/bass, ex-Inborn Suffering) and Matthieu Burgaud (guitar) collaborate with Déhà (mix/mastering/additional vocals, Imber Luminis, Cult of Erinyes, Wolvennest, Slow, Merda Mundi, ex-Clouds…) and Meuse Music Records to unveil their second album, Inheritance, to the world.
Nothing To Claim […] greets us coldly, but also gently as we take our first steps into this new chapter, between wind, a few airy notes and finally those explosions in the background, between which we make our way to Addicted To Negativity, which inundates us without warning with its melodic heaviness. The furious vocal parts are the perfect complement to the melancholy picture, as are the more solemn clear vocals, which occasionally step in to slow down the flow to Euphoria And Misery, where hypnotic harmonics haunt a dark, heavy rhythm. The aggression of Melodic Death can be found in many parts of the track, but there are also soothing phases of tranquility, such as on Watch Me Fall, where beauty meets an interesting vocal duet and majestic riffs. Eventually, the sound fades out to let A Great Void take its place, first with slowness and visceral howls, then with an intoxicating dissonant sound broken by children’s laughter and a voice sampled in French. The band ignites again, finishing with a flourish before leaving us to […] And Nothing To Give, a reassuring interlude whose name echoes the introduction and guides us through to Death Into Heredity. The atmosphere immediately becomes more tense, whether thanks to martial drums or the return of vocals accompanying a violent and intense instrumental, only disturbed by hazy melodies before a restful break followed by its climax that leaves us to let Self Hatred integrate Post-Metal influences into its aching Doom. The track is one of the most soothing on the album, but also one of the most pared-down and poignant, while Remembrance stands out for its stark contrast between gentleness and violence, linking the two in haunting moments before Contemptus Mundi sets the scene with its ritualistic touch, disturbed by terrifying howls in the most poignant moments.
The return of Lying Figures is excellent news for the Doom Metal scene. While the band’s ambition is not to revolutionize the genre, they do know how to blend on Inheritance their influences to offer us transcendent compositions where rage, intensity and melancholy go hand in hand.
90/100