Quite the machine…
https://youtu.be/jMgpJy31yt4
Released through Finisterian Dead End on 2 September 2016 and reviewed by Jason Guest
A mutual love of progressive and extreme metal brought vocalist Myriam Fischer and guitarist Man Fischer to form France’s Derealized in 2014. Soon joined by bassist Mat Roger and drummer Victorien Delacroix (ex-Diluvian), work began on this, Isolation Poetry, their debut album. Part technical, part progressive, part black, part death and all mighty, it’s an impressive opening statement from a band that knows their way around their instruments. And with the band acting as one collective mind that is as concentrated as it is determined, they know how to craft many a mighty tune.
At 53-minutes, albums of this ilk can fall foul of self-indulgence, of ambition beyond ability, or, more commonly, of inept musicianship. Because of their well-developed musical skills, Derealized have little problems in any of those departments. Drummer Victorien Delacroix is a lesson in precision and taste. His beats, his rhythms and his fills are fluid and fortify the tracks with both force and flourish and provide more than a foundation for the guitar and bass but function as part of their highly developed dynamic. Bass and guitar work together fluently, the riffs blurring across the spectrum of rapid, face-tearing brutality and the melodic and the atmospheric. And carving her identity into it all is Myriam Fischer, a vocalist with a beast-like power. Together, Derealized are a machine.
With all bar one being between 5- and 9-minutes, the tracks plot ever-intense and interesting arcs. Whether going for full-on abrasion or the resolute and ruthless, the tracks take their time to breathe and grow, shifting from one groove into the next when the song demands it. What’s most impressive is the band’s capacity to balance intensity and melody with atmospheric depth, all of which comes to the fore for the 9-minute title track which as demanding as it may be, it’s a track that never fails to surprise. Solid production, excellent tracks, adept musicianship, though not without its flaws, Isolation Poetry is an impressive debut and indicates a very promising future.
7 out of 10
Track list:
- Devil’s Got Green Eyes
- The Opium Den
- Torment’s Work
- Cover My Eyes…
- And Tie My Arms With Ivy
- Derealized
- Hollow
- A Late Letter
- Isolation Poetry
