Slift: Ilion

One thing you can’t accuse the French trio Slift of being is unambitious. Their most recent album, Ilion, is inspired by the work of the ancient Greek poet Homer, as was its predecessor, Ummon. According to the band, “Where the two records differ is that Ilion is about human emotions and feelings, whereas Ummon was telling an epic story with a distant view. Ilion represents the fall of humanity and the rebirth of all things in time and space.� I’ll take their word for it.

On to the music. Think of early Hawkwind, but with longer and more ambitious studio tracks combined with very aggressive vocals. Some have called this death metal space rock. That’s an exaggeration. Regarding the death metal claim, there is no growling and while the guitars are very heavy and prominent in the mix, the synths play a big role too and at times there is some subtle percussion work. On the space rock score, yes, the album features many textures that have helped to define the genre. But the music is a little more complex and varied than your typical space rock band. This is progressive metal.

The members of Slift are the brothers Jean Fossat (guitar, synth, and vocals) and Rémi Fossat (bass and vocals), joined by Canek Flores (drums, percussion, and vibraphone).

For me, the standout tracks are “Nimh,� “Confluence,� and the relatively brief (by comparison) closer, “Enter the Loop.� “Nimh� starts out with the aggressive vocals that characterize the album. I can’t tell which of the Fossats produce them, but they fit the music well. It then moves into a lengthy instrumental section with varied tempos and closes with vocals similar to those at the beginning. If I have a complaint about the album, it’s that the first three songs basically fit the same pattern, and it gets a bit samey. Musically, they would have been better off to alter the track order, though that might have impeded the flow of the concept they want to present. “Confluence� is a wordless, heavy piece that seems to feature some nice horns, probably from guest player Etienne Jaumet. I’m guessing the vibraphone is featured here too. “Enter the Loop� is a comparatively gentle instrumental, dominated by the drums. There’s nothing particularly noteworthy about the music. In fact, it is pretty mundane. But it wraps up the album in a very satisfying way.

The band states that you “don’t need a 12-sided die and a copy of The Odyssey to get what [they] are dishing out on Ilion. All you need are two ears, an open mind, and the willingness to be truly blown away.� I don’t need to take their word on that. It was pretty obvious after the first listen.

Ilion is not a masterpiece, but it’s really good: a very strong four stars.

Track Listing
1. Ilion (11:08)
2. Nimh (9:38)
3. The Words That Have Never Been Heard (12:31)
4. Confluence (8:36)
5. Weavers’ Weft (9:41)
6. Uruk (9:54)
7. The Story That Has Never Been Told (12:34)
8. Enter the Loop (5:02)

Added: November 21st 2024
Reviewer: Aaron Steelman
Score:
Related Link: Band @ Bandcamp
Hits: 125
Language: english

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