Vicycle Seasons

Ixion’s Wheel is a one-man black metal band from the beautiful city I happened to live in a few years ago, which met a fate almost every new band should dream of: only a few months after its first self-released demo it got a deal with the small, but growing local label Great Dane Records, a re-recording of said demo (this version I’m reviewing right now) as well as immoderate praise from several magazines and webzines. Now if there might be some hidden nostalgia factor thinking my way may have crossed ThorK’s on the misty quays of Lyon by a drunken 2006 evening without being aware of it, that one must have remained well hidden indeed –because no, I positively can’t share the praise.

We all see where it’s coming from though – I mean this immediate synthetic, modernist vibe which must well appeal to a crowd of some sort. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve got nothing against keyboards as a whole, having already played the Devil’s advocate more than once. And let’s admit the moments Mr ThorK bets everything on the epic side have some unquestionable charm. Caricature, this colossal resounding (programmed) bass drum opening Ruin Circle? Caricatures, those monumental synth melodies opening Inland Empire or March of the Three Fates? Of course. But call them bombastic, ridiculous, over-the-top, it’s nonetheless dead on the spot. Remember we’re dealing with wicked Greek hero Ixion here, the guy who thought he could shamelessly seduce Juno and ended up nailed to an eternally spinning wheel, so immoderation, outrageousness, hybris (that one for the Greek flavour) are welcomed. Because contrariwise what isn’t welcomed, y’know, that’s all this industrial (in lack of a better word) stuff.

Let’s pass on the general intro, you’ve already heard those furious wind samples and programmed orchestrations a thousand times. Let’s pass on the electro interlude Process, amorously as well as patiently distorted ten successive times in your home-made computer, then rinsed twice in presence of archetypal mallgoth female vocals, that one is just too inept. Let’s pass on the omnipresent, awfully ever-distorted drum machine, as commenting on it might lead to unrestrained cursing, altering the clarity of the talk. Pass on and on and just consider the fact those silly beep beep, zwung zwung, crap crap I’m lacking of onomatopoeias now are found on every single song. Some may call it industrial black metal? Don’t know about this but all I know is it’s anyway rather unpleasant, Sir. Even the voice is distorted more often than admissible, a pity as when heard without artifice (yes, this happens sometimes) ThorK’s harsh as well as clean vocals are pretty decent while certainly not outstanding. After all nothing new under the Sun here, that’s the kind of album most of you must have already heard – the album where everything sounds so FAKE. Wait – scratches, did you say? Yes, seems like there are scratches as well. Rejoice, Slipknot is back!

Alright I’m pushing it too far I admit. First the electro shit, while never totally unavoidable, is far less present on some songs than on others. Secondly this doesn’t prevent several genuine metal moments from emerging from the overall mess, like in the grandiose closing track. And when it’s metal Vicycle Seasons is indeed black metal – complete with plaintive black metal leads, wicked black metal shrieks, blastbeats, dark atmosphere and whatnot. That the guy obviously listened too much to both Dani Filth and Ministry is another problem (as for Mr Filth I’m not especially referring to the episodic use of a female singer, there’s an authentic CoF influence here, there and everywhere). Mr ThorK has a talent of some kind, that’s for sure, even if only the talent of well selling his little modernist epic-indus BM stuff. He may not be the only one treading in this field, but he however does it with some style. Now it doesn’t appeal to me. At all.

Highlights: March of the Three Fates, Ruin Circle