Coming from the school of bad band names, baring the ambiguous black/death metal tag AND sharing the band name with another  fellow French act, Derealized had the cards stacked against them from the get go. But being the consummate professional I am, and considering this label gave some solid release from Stangala, Red Dawn, Sound of Memories and War Inside, I gave Isolation Poetry a go, and was mildly surprised and rather impressed.

First off, this is much more than simple black/death metal. I’d go so far to name it a sort of technical/progressive melodic death/thrash metal. There’s a bit of Dew Scented speed and tightness, some Opeth-ian varity, some Dark Tranquillity melodies, and a real sense of scope on display here.  It’s hard to pin down, although its not quite as extreme as other ‘progressive’ black/death metal bands like Maladie, Ne Obliviscaris or recently reviewed Eternal Deformity,  as there are less choirs, strings orchestration etc, but in the same ball park. The only thing I can really do is point you to the 9 minute title track below:

It’s good stuff. Busy but well crafted and well played, especially drummer Victorien Delacroix ( who used to drum for Diluvian– a fine French act in their own right), who adds the Dew Scented tightness to the affair. The other stand out track is the second  number, “The Opium Den”, which is the track that caught my eye when it popped up on my mp3 player, leading to further investigation, as it has a very Opeth-y mid section.

The shorter “Torment’s Work” is a more direct hack n slash thrasher with some nice variety and pacing amid the torrid complexity before “Cover My Eyes….” calms things down with an acoustic interlude that bridges to “…..And ties My Arms With Ivy” with a surprisingly hefty and blistering number. The title track is another impressive track that is similar to “Torment’s Work” in that it has bite and complexity, a tough mix, and even throws in a pure melo- death solo at the end. “Hollow” teases at something special, but closes out before it really delivers and  the slower moodier track, “A Later Letter” is where I start to fade. more due to the style of the music than the quality. Which is a shame as the above title track is a scorcher, but at 52 minutes, I’m ready to move on.

The only downside I can put my finger on is the fairly non descript, mid range, raspy melo-death vocals which are just sort of there with no real complement or counter balance. Music as varied and progressive as this calls for the same in the vocal dept. But it s a minor gripe in yet another solid release from Finisterian End.

 

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