ALBUM REVIEW: La Mort Appelle Tous Les Viviants – Barabbas
They say patience is a virtue and fans of BARABBAS have had to have it in spades over the past few years. The French quintet have made a name for themselves for creating textured slabs of heavily distorted, guitar-driven doom metal, laying their influences of bands such as SAINT VITUS, CATHEDRAL and of course BLACK SABBATH out for everyone to see. It has been eight long years since the band released their debut full-length album Messe Pour Un Chien. However, if the rest of La Mort Appelle Tous Les Viviants is half as good as the singles that have been used to promote the release, it will have been a worthwhile wait.
The main riff in Je Suis Mort Depuis Bien Longtemps has a huge sound to it, accompanied by the swampy bass tones of Saint Alexandre and haunting keys to create a broad sound that is grandiose in scale and sets the scene for the rest of the album. The fuzzy, weighty guitar tones from Saint Thomas and Saint Stéphane create a wall of distorted sound that everything else has to cut through. However, with the superb job that Andrew Guillotin has done behind the mixing desk nothing gets drowned out. This means that the powerful vocals of Saint Rodolphe can soar over the top of the dense musical backdrop and echo throughout the track in the way that they should.
The upbeat Les Saint Riff Rédempteur is a welcome change of pace and shows the band’s ability to change things up at a moment’s notice. The song has a sublime melody and feels like the kind of track that would be great to see in a live setting, complete with the booming vocals and sublime wah-soaked guitar solos.
The guitars are clearly the focal point for La Mort Appelle Tous Les Viviants and this is highlighted on the track Sous Le Signe Du Néant. The infectiously groovy riff that kicks the song off sounds like it was plucked from the heart of New Orleans itself. It sounds almost like a nod to bands such as DOWN and CORROSION OF CONFORMITY, which can never be considered a bad thing. However, with this song it is important to point out the clever way in which the band uses multiple vocal lines all interacting together to create a fascinating dynamic which is something that the band should definitely explore in greater detail in the future.
The last out and out track of the album is La Valse Funébre and it shows that the band still have an abundance of riffs in their supply even at this late stage of the record. The use of ethereal female vocals in this song is a wonderful display of contrast, highlighting the dirty guitar tone and demonstrating a wonderful understanding of melody. The fact that the band manage to make the album feel fresh with new ideas at this late stage shows just how accomplished they are as songwriters and musicians.
If we circle back to the opening point that was made here, it was that fans of the band have had to be more patient than most in waiting for fresh material from BARABBAS. However, if La Mort Appelle Tous Les Viviants is the result of taking their time and perfecting their craft then it is time well spent and the boys can be forgiven for the long wait. Let’s hope the next release doesn’t take anywhere near as long.
Rating: 8/10
La Mort Appelle Tous Les Viviants is set for release on December 9th via Sleeping Church Records.
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