Folie

Man do I love it when I stumble upon a hidden beauty of an album without ever expecting it. When I first heard A Novelist I couldn’t comprehend much of what was happening in their music, nor was I able to anticipate what a full record would have in store. After streaming this album in full I couldn’t help but notice just how creative these guys are. The first time listening to Folie leaves you baffled and in shock at the sheer eccentricity of the music, achieving levels of weirdness that are bound to scare off people looking for a quick fix of mainstream catchy tunes. This is easily one of the most eclectic albums that I ever heard and I often avoid being this bold, but here I can confidently state that this band is 100% authentic.

A Novelist is a progressive death metal duo from Lafayette, Louisiana, consisting of multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Ben Nugent and drummer Alex Babineaux. The two definitely have common visions towards the music that they want to create, as their styles complement each other like a glove. ‘Folie’ is French for madness, and that already gives you a hint of what the music would sound like. They started out as a technical death metal act on their debut ‘Portraits’, and while the core element of their sound is still the same, this second release finds them both evolving past the clichés surrounding technical music, falling into a category of no genre. Vocally, Ben offers both clean and harsh vocals that aren’t the most impressive but definitely some of the most expressive that I’ve heard. Guitar-wise and drum-wise, they share some common ground with Obscura, relying on tight, neat and accurate riffing and with very fluid, melodic soloing coming around every corner. Ben’s style allows for a performance that feels fluid and cohesive, at times slightly dissonant in a jazzy way, thus escaping the mathematic feel that often surrounds technical metal and stepping into the murky and mysterious realms of the avant-garde. If you want math metal though, turn towards Alex and his ability to play double kicks or blast beats at insanely fast tempos for large amounts of time. His technical style reminds me a bit of Dan Presland of Ne Obliviscaris, but tends to be a bit more static on the technical side. It is the groovy jazz oriented style of drumming that often comes as a contrast to his perpetual grinding, offering a more colorful side.

Expanding on the experimental aspect of the album come the vocal performances, and the contribution of guest musicians. Backing vocals by Jessica Morgan and Chelsea Self add to the music and Marc Linam offers four types of saxophone sounds as well as clarinet, oboe and flute. His parts add a different dimension that makes the music feel psychedelic, and this is probably the point where it seems that they are stuffing too many ingredients in one pot. I would have felt the same way reading about it, but man can these people puzzle together contrasting elements seamlessly. The sound doesn’t get overcrowded, and even if it is always difficult to follow, it never feels tiresome or redundant, as they limit their game to what the music needs. For an emphasis on the saxophones listen to songs like ‘'His Kingdom is Vast'’ or the intro of ‘'Caveat Lector’', which I also believe is the best song on the album. Never have I heard such a tapestry of sweet sickening schizophrenia.

Very rarely does technical music become so emotional. They do win prizes in the weirdness department, although it’s not thrown in there for the sake of weirdness, but for the purpose of expression. This might also be due to the concept being personal and relating to the life (mainly the last four years) of somebody close to the band. Around this person they create a story that refers the Inquisition through allegories and expands on modern topics such as social issues, ageing and death. I can’t guarantee for anyone that you will like this on first listen. It’s too complex and just different to appeal so easily, but it is bound to intrigue you and have you come back to discover more. It could be an acquired taste for some, instant love for others, or just brain-crippling for those who prefer to stick to their verse-chorus thrash metal. Folie definitely needs to reach a lot of ears and if you like bands like Obscura, Beyond Creation, Between the Burried and Me or any other fellow techs, A Novelist is quite close to your alley. If you let this one go by, you are missing out on one of the most unique sounding releases in recent years, so I strongly recommend you give this album the time and attention that it deserves.

Enjoy!

Originally written for The Metal Observer: http://www.metal-observer.com/3.o/review/a-novelist-folie/