Igorrr‘s brain has struck again.
Gautier Serre‘s project (machines, Corpo-Mente), completed by Jb Le Bail (vocals, ex-Svart Crown), Marthe Alexandre (vocals), Remi Serafino (drums, Diablation, ex-Svart Crown, ex-Ecr.Linf, ex-Hyrgal) and Martyn Clément (guitar, Joe La Mouk), is back with the support of Metal Blade Records to create Amen, its eighth album.
Several guests are featured, including Mike Leon (bass, CKY, ex-Soulfly, ex-Havok…), Lili Refrain (vocals), Trey Spruance (guitare/sitar, Mr. Bungle), Timba Harris (violin) and Scott Ian (guitar, Anthrax, Mr. Bungle).
We kick off with the dark beat of Daemoni, the first track, which transforms into a block of ultra-saturated and sometimes even epileptic heaviness that even the arrival of the vocalists cannot appease, moving from a lyrical register to extreme Metal with striking consistency. The band continues with Headbutt (I recommend the video), where a piano is (literally) abused while the musicians deliver simple but powerful riffs that eventually adapt to the surrounding madness before Limbo offers a more ethereal and ecclesiastical approach. The atmosphere is frightening, and the few moments of calm only reinforce this oppressive climate and foreshadow violence, followed by the strange Blastbeat Falafel and its dancing oriental influences that work a little too well with the bass groove, giving the madness a palpable and devastating form. We move on to the strange and uncontrollable but aptly named ADHD, which shifts from an industrial nightmare to neo-classical passages in the blink of an eye, then 2020 quickly pays homage to grindcore, perfectly summing up this cursed year before giving way to Mustard Mucous. Once again, it’s no surprise to find all the elements tangled up in large, virulent eruptions, sometimes fast, sometimes pachydermic, but we are finally delivered by Infestis, which begins with a foghorn and ultimately anchors itself in sludge and dissonance. Screams, whispers, and choirs echo each other under this heavy, jerky rhythm before giving way to the disturbing Ancient Sun, which starts off fairly slowly but remains fairly constant, offering a few choirs and slight changes in the beat and keyboards. This approach is maintained on the introduction to Pure Disproportionate Black and White Nihilism before adopting a forced march with violent industrial nuances, joined by hellish screams and various elements that try in vain to slow down the onslaught before it stops of its own accord, allowing us a moment of respite on Étude n°120. Composed solely of an ethereal melody and a voice, the interlude allows us to catch our breath for a moment before Silence takes its place as the final track, remaining in similar tones to its predecessor, but Gautier‘s machines lie in wait in the shadows, ready to attack when the time is right, disturbing the natural order one last time before everything disappears into silence.
Although accustomed to Gautier Serre’s escapades, I still don’t know if Igorrr is a genius project or the result of scientific experiments with dubious results. All I can say is that Amen has a commensurate striking force!
80/100