Sept

Now here’s a band steeped in intrigue and mystique. I’ve never heard anything like Akroma before, so reviewing this unique concept record will be a joy, at least to some degree minus the main problematic issue the record suffers heavily from - the vocals. Now when it comes to vocalists and their individual styles, I have nothing against the idea of experimenting, but only in theory. When experimentation is put into practise, the end result can often be highly disappointed, as it is in the case of this uncommon sounding French band. As a band who loves the idea of mixing and matching genre sounds, it was expected that they would probably adopt a novel approach to the vocal portrayal and they certainly have done in the form of Alain’s vocals. Having previously performed as the leading vocalist for the solid death metal band Scarve, I thought I knew what to expect from Alain who had some difficulties leading the show in the case of Scarve, too. The general consensus seems to be that Alain was a strong performer in terms of his growls, but his odd screams were piercing and punishing on the listener.

They had a habit of being annoying and although they could be overlooked in the case of Scarve, bypassing them on this effort is a bit more challenging, since he is an ever present with his vocal style that takes the levels of annoyance to a whole new height, easily scaling and surpassing the issues founded on his performances with the talented French death metal act. Although there happens to be more to write home about in the way of positivity from Akroma than there perhaps is in regards to Scarve, who also happen to be a totally different sounding band, the vocals are a real down point and cause an alarming change in opinion from the initial elation that came with the eclectic style of acoustics, clean female vocals and even the overall concept of this record which is based on the seven deadly sins, with each song being exactly seven minutes long. I suppose the closest I can come to making a comparison would be to Australia’s Ne Obliviscaris, but there are a number of differences between the two. The fact that I’m struggling to form any sort of comparison really does suggest how isolated this band is in terms of producing a sound unlike any other.

In terms of similarities to Ne Obliviscaris, a band who have grown in stature recently, there is a definite black metal backbone to the material, even if it is eclectic enough to suggest otherwise. Both bands like their variation and tend to offer a number of riffs within the space of one song, including several startling solos, as shown on the first song, ‘L’Orgueil’ which is akin to the aforementioned Australian act in a fair few ways itself. The use of a violinist is crucial to Akroma, a band who also like to sweep in and out of genres, from black to symphonic and even subtle elements of death metal in the crunching guitars. There is a lot of material worth appraisal here, but the vocals are a constant hindrance to the consistent instrumental sections. Without the vocals, I feel that Akroma would have much more to offer in the way of essential listening material. However, what would Alain’s vocals be replaced with? I highly doubt the female vocals could manage to provide a performance worthy of leading the band since they’re very soft and a lot of the instrumentation requires a powerful voice to weave its melodic ways through the bone crunching soundscapes provided by the lashing of double bass and distorted tremolo riffs.

I suppose the vocals of Alain do serve some purpose as Akroma are a band of contrasts and these are, of course, not the only form of vocals present on this dynamic record. From his ear piercing screams to lower growls and even featuring those lush female vocals, Akroma seem to want to tend to all tastes within the fans and though they do this with some success, the feeling is the vocal department could use an overhaul in some regards. The sins are depicted well by the acrid aspects of instrumentation which, thankfully, don’t adhere to any sense of rigidity despite the contrasting textures with the softer, more sultry sections which depict the ideas of envy and lust well. The use of wind instruments, piano passages and exceptional violins make this a vibrant minefield of experimentation worthy of its tag as progressive music. Musically, this record is brilliant. It caters to a lot of tastes and is incredibly varied. It’s difficult to dislike this based on the instrumentation alone, but the vocals definitely put a spanner in the works. Deal with the vocals, Akroma, and I think the majority of people will then be satisfied.