Experiment

A lot of creativity and originality was unleashed in the mid-90s the metal scene acting defiant, and perhaps having already gotten tired, of the groovy/aggro/post-thrash crap that was pouring over it from all corners of the planet. Yes, the numetal epidemic had already taken indomitable proportions by then, but some acts were working on their own version of the urgently needed vaccine, to the true metal fans’ utter delight. The French partisan metal movement didn’t remain indifferent to this underground phenomenon, and some of its representatives joined the carnival which was particularly wild and festive in Germany, Russia and Holland. Loudblast released the excellent technical/progressive masterpiece “Sublime Dementia” (1993), and the innovative, eccentric thrashers Krakkbrain came up with this schizophrenic delight named “Innercut” (EP, 1993). Still, others mourned the loss of Treponem Pal, true auteurs in their early stage, who succumbed to the industrial metal arena. Not much room for grief, though, with young upstarts like Aleister and Oddmongers springing up, also making an enormous contribution to the inventive, left-hand-path aspect of the genre.

Oddmongers started their career under the moniker Halifax Gibbet showing odd predilections at this early stage with the eccentric name choice. No idea how this weirdness had been translated into music, but two years later the band are still alive and well, only under a different name… It’s 1994, and it’s time for defiant unorthodox metal concoctions to keep the groovy virus away; so let’s get going! Time waits for no bunch of bizarre French musicians!” The Oddmongers under scrutiny here waited for no second invitation to start cooking their experimental musical dishes which couldn’t have been more appropriately titled. So this experiment starts with “Sounds of Eternity”, a title which forebodes global encompassing music for all tastes; well, not exactly as the band provide dynamic avant-garde thrashing with choppy insertions and a surreal main motif plus a portion of quiet, acoustic distractions in the second half. “Mindraping Psy-Clones” should pull out something truly mind-scratching to match its title, and indeed the beginning is a most bewildering amalgam of strange, odd atonal rhythms ala Treponem Pal and Voivod made all the more outlandish due to the very serious semi-dramatic clean vocals; more intense twisted, technical riffs take over amidst other non-conventional decisions like an abstract doomy Confessor-esque mid-break which flows into creepy brooding guitars with a short balladic twist.

“Naked Terror” is well dressed in stylish Voivod-ish dissonance also recalling the Italians Braindamage’s “Signal de Revolta”, before jarring jumpy riffage enters the scene becoming more surreal not without the help of a sudden, marginally more linear, fast-paced break. “Amnesia” is a scratching oddball thrasher crossing Prong’s “Beg to Differ” with late-80’s Killing Joke with a beautiful balladic passage served later. “Mechanical World” is a crunchy cut with heavy sharp riffs which steam-roll forward never breaking their steady mid-paced stride some minimalistic technicality sneaking in in the second half along with another nice quiet interlude. “Tyrannicide” thrashes with the stop-and-go technique applied to the fullest, again the approach not betraying the consistent mid-tempo including the obligatory peaceful section which this time is more on the funky/bluesy side. “5.m.f.p.m.f.” is a jazzy oddity with offbeat sax tunes ruling over the sparse guitar insertions. The closing “My Experience” is a funky progressive experience with references to Mordred’s “In This Life” although the Frenchmen thrash harder and with more vision the latter expressed in the most unorthodox manner with a brilliant dissonant stroke mid-way followed in its turn by more aggressive dramatic accumulations; expect the umpteenth serene passage which becomes debatable signature by the end of this otherwise quite unusual opus.

One can only speculate if such truly original pieces of music were ever going to be produced if it wasn’t for the downfall that the classic school took during the 90’s. Complacency was hardly going to stir the imagination to such an extent, and this is perhaps where the scene was heading if the whole grunge/aggro-thrash fuss hadn’t taken place. It’s not exactly true that the metal field was dead and buried in the 90’s; albums like this are a testimony that there were underground forces working for the welfare of mankind, and that these forces went the extra mile to introduce something new and fresh without regurgitating old sounds and patterns. The Oddmongers’ output can’t be quite classified as a trip down memory lane; it contains too many bits and pieces of other styles to firmly belong to the still roaming retro thrash purveyors. In a way very similar to their compatriots Aleister, they inserted a doze of innovation to the classic formulas thus making the good old thrash impervious to any vicious numetal attacks. Listening to this, one can’t complain about any detrimental groovy or grungy “pollution”; the delivery is clearly devoid of those, and yet it has this uncanny aura indicating that some kind of transformation had by all means occurred, one which the fans could learn to tolerate and appreciate, with time.

The brave Frenchmen continued with their encompassing musical grotesqueries, and “Qualms…”, released a year later, was a very similar experiment with all the eccentric tools of the trade firmly in place, including an effective guitar-driven (of course!) version of the techno pioneers 2 Unlimited hit "Tribal Dance". Their swansong “The New Prometheus” (1997) was indeed a somewhat new direction taken, one which led away from the thrash metal realm, a step to be expected having in mind the very wide palette from which the band were taking their inspiration. It was another worthy surreal affair although it would hardly hold the hardened thrash metal fan’s attention for more than 2/3 numbers due to its not very aggressive nature. The guys appeared in 1999 under the name Soundfix with a style non-related to metal, and lasted for another three years before laying down the weapons for good. Not to worry; rest assured that whenever the thrash metal roster needs another outlandish fix, this odd bunch will resurface to provide the latter in a most bizarrely stylish manner.