Nomen est omen with Sang Froid from Nantes.
Making good use of the infectious winter of 2019, these cold-blooded Frenchmen, composed of two members of Regard les hommes tomber and one member of The Veil, have created a decidedly un-sanguine project that celebrates the sound of 80s New Wave, Cold Wave and Goth Rock.
Although the mood is sometime a few stories further down than with the originals, there is no mistaking the source of inspiration for Sang Froid’s music. Dead Can Dance, The Sisters of Mercy and Depeche Mode resound in the band’s songs, yet their compositions are not mere copies.
The project’s self-titled debut EP features four songs that will sound immediately familiar to fans of things goth, new wave an industrial, but they are not without nouvelle moments. First of all, there are the vocals which, for example, in opener Heavy Sleep Heavy Heart are unusually cold and unexcited and delivered through a fog; you actually have to strain a bit to understand the lyrics. Then there is the unusual, non-standard pronunciation of the lyrics which adds an additional bit of mystery.
Psalms of the Great Void continues in a similar icy vein as the premier song, proclaiming despair from the very beginning. However, after a while, a bit of melody alongside the cold beats and vocals adds melancholia to the freezing, electric mood. With track number three, Oversee and Kill, the beats become more hectic and excited, more lifelike, the melody more intricate, and the vocals finally soften displaying some emotion. Could this be the expression of a wish to live, despite the contrarious song title?
The fourth and last track, Death Came to Me, pre-released a year ago, is the most conventional-sounding song of the EP’s four compositions with a richer soundscape, including dreamy, yearning female backing vocals and a generous amount of melody. This could easily be the product of another, recent goth rock band the likes of which are currently popping up everywhere, but especially in Germany, whereas the EP’s first three songs have a more distinctive touch.
Intriguing. Fans of cavernous bat caves and black dress will certainly feel right at home with this. Definitely a project to look out for.
(7/10 Slavica)
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