Formed in 2000, this French act (who combine industrial with harsh ambient and Black Metal) have been a duo for most of their career, kl.K. (drums, samples, programming) and Hth (guitars, bass, samples, programming). This was their fourth album, released in 2016, and is also their most recent. It is instrumental, apart from the use of samples and is highly experimental in a way I am not sure always works as they can quickly move from one extreme to another and there is little in the way of consistent musical threads, almost as if different pieces of music have been spliced together in a manner to create discord and disharmony. There are also sections here which have been taken from genres I do not listen to, such as hip hop, and the result is disorienting. Now, I am aware there are many people who feel this is a masterpiece and it is rated very highly indeed on the bible which is Encyclopaedia Metallum (metal-archives.com) but I have never been one to go with the crowd.
There is no doubt there are times when the contrasts and switches work well with the different elements contrasting each other, but equally there are times when this feels like experimentation for its own sake as opposed to any musical benefit. It is a difficult album to listen to, and while I decided it was not worth my effort to keep persevering until it made some sort of sense, others may feel this is exactly what they are looking for.
Rating: 7/10
