Hypno5e: Acid Mist Tomorrow

If you want to hear a highly experimental release, then Acid Mist Tomorrow is definitely for you. I was impressed with this album because everything fits so well together; a surprising achievement, especially considering the range of sounds and styles these guys employ. I confess that I'm slightly at a loss for words as to how to describe the sound of this album--eclectic is probably the best word, though eccentric works just as well. These guys basically play with so many sounds and styles that listeners will never know exactly what to expect. That's a good thing, especially when so many metal bands these days are doing variations on the same thing. In this case, the liner notes should come with a listening guide.

Acid Mist Tomorrow is Hypno5e's sophomore release. The band is made up of Emmanuel Jessua (lead vocals / guitar), Thibault Lamy (drums / percussion), Cédric Pages (bass / vocal) and Jonathan Maurois (guitar). Even though that sounds like a fairly traditional lineup, you wouldn't know it from listening to this band. I think it's probably fair to say that these guys have one more musician in the band--the recording studio. This album is made up of so many effects and sounds that no single band could possibly hope to reproduce it in a live setting, though I wouldn't be surprised if these guys have already found a way to do it. The band's promotional material describes Hypno5e as "sonic alchemists." That works, though I'm not sure what the sonic equivalent of gold would be in this case. I don't think a gold record is in the offing, but who knows?

My favorite tracks on this album were the three parts of "Gehenne" and the two parts of "Brume Unique Obscurité." I won't describe the sounds of these tracks in detail--I doubt that I could do it justice. These tracks stood out to me because they highlighted the way Hypno5e can play quietly--at times, I preferred their quieter moments, especially since their louder side is too much like The Dillinger Escape Band, especially its unrelenting screaming and pounding. Listeners should check out the first part of "Brume Unique Obscurité for the quiet, clean vocals that come in about half-way through. The vocal variety on this release is very good; sometimes they whisper and sometimes they scream. It works pretty well. I advise all listeners to listen to the last few minutes of part I and then stick around for part II. I won't spoil things too much, but these guys take a musical turn right out of South America--and it works.

My only complaint about Acid Mist Tomorrow is that several of the background clips sound like they are being spoken through a telephone speaker. I'm not saying the album is poorly recorded or mixed. I think the slightly-muted, ghostly, sound is quite deliberate. It seems to me, though, that bands can try to experiment with vocal sounds and styles without having to run them all through some kind of filter.

As I listened to this album, there were times I felt like I was walking through a long subway station, listening to the variety of human noises it produces echoing off the walls. I imagined musicians playing on one end, cases open, ready to receive a few coins. Further down the path, I imagined the sound of people talking, some together, some with cell phones attached to their ears, their attention elsewhere. I also imagined the rushing sound of subway trains, the screech of their breaks, and the whoosh of opening doors. These sounds work together, but the result is sometimes ugly--a soundscape blending human movement and human trouble. That's what Acid Mist Tomorrow is like--a record of busy, eclectic, sounds. It shouldn't work, but it does.

Track Listing:
1. Acid Mist Tomorrow
2. Six Fingers in One Hand She Holds the Dawn (Part I)
3. Six Fingers in One Hand She Holds the Dawn (Part II)
4. Story of the Eye
5. Gehenne (Part I)
6. Gehenne (Part II)
7. Gehenne (Part III)
8. Brume Unique Obscurité (Part I)
9. Brume Unique Obscurité (Part II)

Added: March 13th 2012
Reviewer: Carl Sederholm
Score:
Related Link: Band Website
Hits: 2719
Language: english

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