I’ve already contemplated about the state of French metal in a few other reviews this year, so I won’t dwell on subject too much. In fact, I’m getting rather tired of being surprised by the quality acts that stem from France; it would be refreshing to receive something that could be labeled as garbage. But, no, Abysse’s 21-minute release Le Vide est Forme makes me all tingly inside.

It would be easy to pinhole the band into the now-popular post-rock oriented metal music genre, but Abysse doesn’t quite fit. Instead, it has a lot more common with say, Finland’s up-coming powerhouse Tuliterä. Both bands tend to mix a wide variety of elements into their metal-core (but not metalcore); they take queues from more ambient bands, color the music with spacey, progressive elements and mishmash it into something that plays out quite nicely. And uniquely. Out of the two, Abysse’s metal roots are far more visible, as there’s a clear connection with, say, Gojira‘s strut and, to a certain extent, Metallica. Some of the guitar-lines actually add a bit of an ’80s flavor.

It’s hard to find anything at fault with Le Vide est Forme, as the two tracks are interesting and intriguing. Perhaps, when it’s time for a full-length, they will need to start paying more attention to how well the tracks complement each other; how to keep the songs coherent. While it’s not a problem here, there’s a danger that the songs will overstay their welcome and, in the process, lose the big picture. It’s critical that the songs play into the  drama, so that the music isn’t played just for the sake of ‘mindless’ playing. Also, while I do appreciate the instrumental thought process, if I were to direct the band, I wouldn’t fear the use of vocals, as it’s an easy way to add more depth to the musical and emotional presentation. And, naturally, to give the listeners more detail, upon which they can cling and Velcro themselves.

From what I gather, Le Vide est Forme is actually a year or two old, so it shouldn’t take too long for us to find out if, and how, the band has evolved. The guys are still young and most likely inexperienced, but in time, they might turn into another French metal super weapon.

[Visit the band's website]

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