ÂGE ⱡ TOTAL – ÂGE ⱡ TOTAL (Album Review)

Release date: February 05th 2021. Label: SOZA / COLLECTIF 5024. Format: Cassette/DD

ÂGE ⱡ TOTAL – ÂGE ⱡ TOTAL – Tracklisting

L’Armure
Carré
Metal
The Songbird

Review

ÂGE ⱡ TOTAL is a collaborative album featuring two of France’s most promising Doom/Sludge Metal bands GREYFELL and Endless Floods creating a beautifully made and equally emotional album. The album runs for 46 minutes spread across 4 songs with the record being a stunning journey of Post-Rock, Post-Metal, Sludge Metal, Doom Metal and is held together by hypnotic Psychedelic waves of Progressive Rock/Metal.

Both bands collaborated on all 4 songs for this album. This album is a work of genius with it’s different styles of music and how it embraces the LIGHT and DARK philosophy of Doom/Sludge Metal with uplifting musical passages and bleak down-tempo grooves that are spliced throughout the album.

Opening song – L’Armure – is more of an Ambient Doom style of music with the Post-Metal and Cinematic grooves being played quite slowly at first before exploding into a HEAVY WALL OF NOISE with superb vocals that have an uplifting feel to them. The Psychedelic Doomgaze fully takes over around the half-way mark and ÂGE ⱡ TOTAL becomes a more emotionally involved album with intense riffs and soaring vocal melodies leading the way. There is a very subtle Stoner Metal riff being played in the background but this still primarily a wild ride of Ambient Doom/Progressive Sludge sounds.

Second song – Carré – is a more experimental Drone/Doom based song running slightly less at over 4 minutes. The song is full of sonic glitches against a psychedelic backdrop with various soundbytes being merged into an almost nightmarish vision. The song has some brief vocal chants that elevate the song to a more gloomier level.

Third song – Metal – is where the album leaves the uplifting parts behind and becomes a much bleaker album with the heavier parts of the album starting with this track. The music feels quite remorseful with the Post-Rock/Post-Metal atmosphere leading the record further down the Doom/Sludge Metal rabbit-hole. This is offset by some wonderful vocal harmonies yet again and you can feel a “Type-O Negative” influence being added here with the vocals and lyrics painting a more realistic style of music.

Fourth song – The Songbird – runs for almost 17 minutes and is perhaps the most “Doom Metal” offering on the record. As ÂGE ⱡ TOTAL goes for the jugular here with it’s progressive mix of Doom, Sludge, Post-Metal and Psychedelic weirdness. It’s quite a cold and emotionally distant song to begin with and it doesn’t fully get going until around the 3rd minute when a top-notch Drone riff appears out of nowhere followed by almost angelic vocals. The orchestral and instrumental parts of this song is nothing short of magnificent.

ÂGE ⱡ TOTAL is a bold, unique and sombre listening experience which is helped along by outstanding production values. This is one of the best, if not the best collaborative album I’ve heard in years.

ÂGE ⱡ TOTAL is a phenomenal record and deserves a place in anyone’s record collection. I wouldn’t be surprised if this album ends up on a few “Albums Of The Year” list towards the end of the year. It’s already gained a spot on mine.

Awesome stuff….

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Purple Sage PR for the promo. ÂGE ⱡ TOTAL will be available to buy on Cassette/DD via SOZA / COLLECTIF 5024 from February 5th 2020.

GREYFELL Links:

Facebook / Bandcamp / Instagram

ENDLESS FLOOD Links

Facebook / Bandcamp

Endless Floods - S/T (Album Review)

Release date: Feb 07th 2016. Label: Breathe Plastic Records / Fvtvrecordings. Format: DD/Vinyl

Endless Floods – S/T – Tracklisting

1.Setting Fire To The Shelter 09:11

2.Carpathes 08:04

3.Floods 14:49

4.Eternal Failure 03:38

Band Members:

Benjamin / Simon / Stéphane

Review:

Endless Floods debut S/T album is an ambient doom/sludge/post-metal album and it's one packed full of haunting riffs and harsh vocals to match. There is a sense of bleak despair running throughout the entire

album as Endless Floods create a sombre slow-paced and highly atmospheric vibe. Fans of Fall Of Efrafa will find much to enjoy here especially if you're a fan of bleak based Doom/Post-Metal.

Opening track Setting Fire To The Shelter – sees Endless Floods creating their own style of heavy distorted sounds with flashes of ambient noises and creaking guitars. The song sees Endless Floods play moments of violent based noise with harsh psychedelic moments of post-metal appearing throughout the song.

Second track – Carpathes – follows the same destructive path as the first track but the sound is heavier and perhaps even more chaotic as a result. It's another epic track for Endless Floods to build their nightmarish vision upon. Shades of early-era Neurosis and Khanate appear as the heavy pounding drums are perhaps the best thing about this song. As they have a hypnotic and destructive quality to them. The pounding bass adds extra weight with the vocals rooted in almost punk/crust based territory.

Third track – Floods – is a 14 minute epic that should have been the standout track but it takes a very long time to get going. The first 6 minutes sees the band play slow-paced distorted and almost post-rock style riffs. It can become very tiring at times but I applaud the band for doing something different. Around the 7 minute mark all hell breaks loose with Endless Floods unleashing HELL ON EARTH with the heaviest doomiest and gloomiest riffs on the entire album.

Fourth track – Eternal Failure – is perhaps the most straight forward Doom/Sludge Metal song on the album. It only runs for under 4 minutes but it allows the band to play brutal riffs from the very start. Sure it's slow-paced but Endless Floods create moments of heavy thunderous carnage. A superb song to end the album with.

Endless Floods debut album is a superb album and one that will find many admirers in the Doom/Sludge Metal community. If you want an album that is bleak from the outset then this is the album for you. Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Claire at Purple Sage PR for the promo. Endless Floods is available to buy now.

Links:

Facebook | BandCamp