A fascinating album from this French three piece who take their name from the title of an old episode of the X Files and for which the literal translation is "The Ancient Ones". They first issued an EP back in 2004 before first album proper The Principles Of (Hate) was released in 2006. After a further EP a year later Origins marks the bands second full length album. Vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Mathieu Madani is joined by Romain Bouquau on keyboards and bassist Christophe Blanc-Tailleur although what is not entirely clear is if the band yet have a permanent drummer.
'Mr Twilight' has shades of industrial metal and boasts solid hooks and a heartfelt lyric that suggests chaos and disorder. By way of contrast 'The Shore' commences with the gentle sound of lapping waves which are soon joined by some delicate keyboards and soft vocals. A track that could easily draw favourable comparisons with Marbles-era Marillion, in a further tip of the hat to Steve Hogarth and co the line "afraid of sunlight" sneaks into the lyric. Elsewhere there are darker metal overtones on the compelling 'Far, beyond hate' and bleak 'Suffocate' that offer tight arrangements and spiralling riffs. A musical box is used to introduce closing number 'Sleep', a haunting lullaby with a sinister lyric that warns of monsters under the bed, Madani picking out a weaving and effective melody. After a promising start the song disappointingly fades out early and could perhaps be considered for a lengthier reworking.
As we all know we live in an era where music is considered by many to be something they don't always wish to pay for and in a generous attempt to introduce their music to a wider audience all of their releases to date can be downloaded for free from the below link. But on the evidence of Origins this is a band far too good to simply give their songs away and they should really be snapped up by one of the prog labels. But don't just take my word for it; before you close the page head over to the website and give Origins a chance.
Track Listing
1. Mr twilight
2. Suffocate
3. The last man
4. The shore
5. Lucid dream
6. Justify
7. Far, beyond hate
8. Hive mind
9. Nobody's listening
10. Sleep
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