ALBUM REVIEW: A Dream Of Wilderness – Aephanemer
A certain four piece from the south-west of France might be hogging the spotlight for the country’s metal scene in 2021, but the land to give us the likes of Jean Michel-Jarre, Zinedine Zidane and Asterix is far from a one-trick pony. Step forward AEPHANEMER from Toulouse. Formed in 2013, the band – whose name is a portmanteau of the French words for ‘ephemeral’ and ‘wilted’ – are taking melodic death metal in a much more symphonic direction, and clearly they’re doing something right because third album A Dream Of Wilderness marks their debut with respected label Napalm Records.
Due to the emphasis on keys, strings and synths throughout A Dream Of Wilderness, along with Marion Bascoul‘s impressive gutturals, AEPHANEMER are straddling the line between melodic death and symphonic black metal, the two genres playing off each other in an intriguing subplot to the record. Whereas tracks such as Le Radeau De La Méduse (translation: The Raft of the Medusa) are very much embedded in the style of the former with its MAIDEN guitar leads, Roots And Leaves – the longest track on the album – feels more in line with CRADLE OF FILTH and DIMMU BORGIR than anything else. There’s special mention to Of Volition for being the best NIGHTWISH song for six years too.
Crucially, this clash of tones does not make the record imbalanced; rather, it’s an impressive blending of the two, even if you don’t have to jump through a multitude of musical hoops to get from one to the other. Over the course of the nine tracks (11 on the bonus edition), Bascoul shines with her razor-sharp screams. They stand out more with each listen and cut through the music like a hot knife through butter.
On a musical front, the best tracks are saved for the very end: lead single Panta Rhei and the closing title track are towering examples of the band at their very best, with both songs dipping and diving through several phases from all out shredding to ethereal backings and not once do they feel mashed together and jarring. For all that Bascoul may take the plaudits as MVP, the rest of the band – fellow guitarist Martin Hamiche, bassist Lucie Woaye Hune and drummer Mickaël Bonnevialle – are just as exemplary in what they do, and they show it no better than on this final double-salvo. If there’s one criticism, it’s that the production leans on the raw side at times, which is fine on a purely extreme metal front, but does the symphonic elements no favour at all. The opening song Antigone is such an example, and although it’s not an issue for the most part, it is noticeable when it occurs, which is enough to knock the album down a few notches in terms of quality.
There must be a degree of hope for AEPHANEMER that their presence on such a big name label will help them reach new heights in their career; of course, the music has to match their ambition. On the basis of A Dream Of Wilderness, the outlook is very promising.
Rating: 7/10
A Dream Of Wilderness is set for release on November 19th via Napalm Records.
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