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Still confused, but MUCH better - 67%
After Misanthrope's confused debut, they offered this package of two mini-albums (or is it three?). Maybe not a real album, but certainly memorable and with much tighter playing.
Production is vastly improved, but Philippe's vocals have remained schizophrenic. There are some parts that leave me scratching my head, and some that just meander into nowhere, but overall, they're moving in the right direction.
"Standing at the Galaxy" is not as moving of a lead off track, but still good. "L'erotique Courtoise" is a sequel to "Childhood Memories," and is equally as good, with some great transitions. Really fucked up lyrics, too, if you understand French. "Maudit soit tu, Soleil!" is bascially "The Aquarium" from the first album recorded acoustically and in French. I don't know, but I really like this song. The other songs on this half are pretty dull, though, especially the synth instrumental, "Miracle."
The last two songs were recorded without bass, but holy fuck! These are ripping testaments to eccentric doomy death! The guitars and drums sound nasty and heavy as hell, ripping out of my speakers like a swarm of angry bats. Musically somewhat like The Chasm's first demo, Samael's Worship Him, and possibly the melody of early Paradise Lost, this shit gets you headbanging right away. And there are still quite a few little twists, with the weird vocals and crazy guitar solos. Fuck, if only they could have made a whole album of stuff like this...
Overall, this is a vast improvement, but still there are tons of wrinkles that need to be smoothed out. The band sounds tighter, the production is better, and added heaviness keeps things a bit more focused.
