I guess the first thing to say is that this did not sound anything like I expected it to. I don’t know why, but I guess the idea of sci-fi metal intrigued me, having penned lyrics to songs about alien abduction and wars on distant planets, to pretty much being the only stuff I read, bar comics, I knew I’d be right to tackle this album. But this Alsatian quintet’s sound isn’t breaking any new ground here as they play pretty straight forward metal with the odd thrash flurry thrown in for good measure rather than abstract or experimental.
The album opens with “Whisperer”, an instrumental intro that gently guides you into the zombie apocalypse that is “Solanum” for your first taste of their quickly changing guitar riffs, strong but melodic vocals and snapping drumming.
I fucking loved Firefly and perhaps that adds a bias towards “The Valley”, as does it’s fast and thrashy sensibility. There are times on the song where Guillaume Manier sounds a lot like Volbeat’s Michael Poulsen and Steéphane Heyd’s lead whittles away the fretboard with its speed.
“Seven” has a bit of a “Planet Caravan” moment as it drops to nearly crawling paced acoustic from Laurent Manier’s choppier distorted rhythm.
Heading into the new Battlestar Galactica universe with “The Plan”, recently departed drummer Julien Koenisecker plays plenty of intricate fills to keep things interesting.
“Sunbreaker” rises slowly with Marc Krauth popping the bass over the picked guitar before the distortion kicks in to make the song heavier, but keeping the pace unchanged as it lumbers on.
“Rules Of Engagement”, however, builds rather quickly from its slow start, in much the same way the battle it describes does, to keep the pace going nicely for “Faster Than Light”, another foray into Battlestar Galactica, which has a rather melodically sung verse to counter the chanted chorus and blistering lead.
A nice chunky riff is used on “Bloodstone” which is complemented nicely by the sound pounding that the drums are receiving simultaneously.
Final track, “Across The Ages” went from really mellow to a tad manic, while never allowing the vocals to waver from their mid-paced melody and acting as an even keel for the song.
Sadly I wasn’t overwhelmed by this album but it has its good moments and I enjoy the subject matter.
(6/10 Marco Gaminara)
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