Soul Drift

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

I’ve been putting off writing this review, mainly because of the arguments over genres on the Amesoeurs Last.FM shoutbox, but I’m going to be brave & post my review! I will also (again) state that I am not a music expert & I don’t claim to be. Everything I write is just my opinion, but that goes without saying.

Formed in France in 2004 by Neige (also of Alcest, Mortifera, Peste Noire, Forgotten Woods & Phest), Audrey Sylvain & Fursy Teyssier, Amesoeurs wanted to create music that reflected the dark side of the industrial era & modern civilisation. The music “combines the early/mid-’90s black metal sound with post-punk & clean female vocals”. Their self-titled album is their only full length & they disbanded straight after its release.

I am unsure of how I feel about the album as a whole. Since ‘Faiblesse Des Sens’ was my favourite from the Ruines Humaines EP, I thought I would enjoy hearing more of Audrey’s clean vocals, but this is not the case. I actually prefer the tracks with Neige on vocals &, unfortunately, there is no song that really lives up to ‘Faiblesse Des Sens’ for me.

The opening instrumental track, ‘Gas In Veins’, is haunting & atmospheric; I think it compliments the artwork of the album really well. I adore the music of ‘Les Ruches Malades’ & ‘Heurt’ (I adore the music of the whole album in fact) but for some reason I don’t think Audrey’s vocals really fit with the tracks. I can’t put my finger on why that is, but I find it quite difficult to listen to her vocals combined with the music on them both. I would have been quite happy listening to the tracks as instrumentals. It is possible that I am comparing them too much to the amazing ‘Faiblesse Des Sens’, but her voice fitted perfectly with the music in that song, especially the scream towards the end. Her screams in ‘Heurt’ seem really out of place.

‘Recueillement’ is probably my favourite track of the album & the first with Neige on vocals. Neige is one of a few black metal vocalists that I really love & doesn’t grate me. I don’t know what it is about his screams, but I’ve been a fan since I first heard Mortifera. The song is dark & beautiful – I particularly like when the heavy guitars kick in around 5:22; it gives me goosebumps every time. I also don’t care what anyone else says, this reminds me of a post-rock track I like a lot. ‘Faux Semblants’ is a definite constrast to the previous track, it is much more upbeat & the first track that I feel fits well with Audrey’s vocals. Cleverly titled ‘I XIII V XIX XV V XXI XVIII XIX – IX XIX – IV V I IV’ (‘Amesoeurs Is Dead’, for anyone who hasn’t worked it out) is next. It is another beautiful & haunting track; I suppose it can be perceived as a sad farewell to the band.

The rest of the album is, again, a mixture of black metal (‘Trouble (Éveils Infâmes)’ & ‘Au Crépuscule de Nos Rêves’) & post-punk (‘Amesoeurs’ – which is another favourite of mine). ‘La Reine Trayeuse’ combines the two more noticeably, with the first half starting fairly calmly & becoming heavier half way through, accompanied again by Audrey’s odd screams & shrieks.

It is a shame that the band have decided to disband, but then again, if they could not decide on the direction for the band, then it is probably for the best. Although I like the eclectic & contrasting style of the album, you gain a sense that there was no real direction to it. I like the album, but it wasn’t the spectacular record I was expecting after loving Ruines Humaines so much. Perhaps my expectations were too high. Nevertheless, it is an album I will be listening to a lot; most likely in the dark, contemplating modern life & all of its absurdities.

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