ALBUM REVIEW: Utopie – Aephanemer

Every now and then, the metal world delivers an album that makes you feel underdressed. Utopie by AEPHANEMER is the latest. The fourth full-length by one of the rising stars of the vibrant French metal scene, Utopie is a rich and vibrant feast of symphonic death metal, and it’ll make you want to put on a tuxedo. Or at least wear a tie.

The Toulouse-based three piece have seen their stock rise since signing to Napalm Records and this newest record should elevate it higher still. The link between heavy metal and classical music is well-established, but it’s painfully obvious on Utopie. It’s an intricate body of music that has as much in common with the great composers as it does with DIMMU BORGIR. Hell, if it weren’t for the death growls, this could be an alternative soundtrack to the Amadeus remake.

For example, take Par-Delà Le Mur Des Siècles. This one meshes galloping, high-intensity death metal with the kind of upbeat instrumentals you’d usually hear on an Alton Towers advert. But it doesn’t come across like two styles that have been merged together and is far more organic than you might expect. It’s jaunty and playful and immensely heavy, all at the same time. You couldn’t prize the components apart and have them exist on their own, this is classical metal, and it would cease to function if you turned the orchestral parts off.

Similarly, Contrepoint is a surprisingly catchy number that could only be posher if it came with a complimentary serving of Ferrero Rocher. Singer Marion Bascoul rants and screams like a particularly well-educated goblin, over the type of black metal riffs that you could ballet dance to. The following La Rivière Souterraine opens with a cinematic instrumental before turning into an epic piece of progressive death, and the two-part title track rounds things off in bombastic style.

The piano melodies, choirs, and other flourishes give Utopie a distinct vibe, even among other similarly minded bands. AEPHANEMER come across like three fans of classical music who discovered metal in later life and sometimes, the heavy bits seem less important to them. It verges on being pompous but instead, comes off as confident. The trio are remarkably talented and while AEPHANEMER might be too highly strung for mass appeal, they should do very well with a niche sector of the market.

In other words, AEPHANEMER are a music nerd’s heroes in waiting. They are likely to be your sixth form music teacher’s favourite metal band, but Utopie is ace. If nothing else, it’s the perfect accompaniment to being wheeled through a Vienna insane asylum while proclaiming yourself to be the Patron Saint of Mediocrities. Fan of bands like FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE? Give this French trio a spin, once you’ve polished your shoes.

Rating: 8/10

Utopie is out now via Napalm Records.

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