What do you think of when you think of France? Baguettes, croissants, other breaded pastries? Well now you can add brutality and musical innovation to that list as well. The French are some seriously crazy and creative dudes when it comes to metal. The country's been churning out some of the best metal acts in years with the likes of Gojira, Gorod, Kronos, and of course BENIGHTED!
These guys are pretty much the holy grail of metal for me. They've got everything I've ever wanted to hear in a metal band and are by far one of the most under appreciated bands working today. That's due in part to their never having toured in the U.S., which has seriously stunted their exposure over here, but it is my goal to see them live at least once, even if it means shelling out hundreds of dollars for plane tickets to France one day.
I've been following these guys for the better part of a decade now and their albums probably get the highest rotation on my iPod. After 2007's ICON, I wasn't sure if and how they would ever top that record, and was beginning to think they had taken an "indefinite hiatus" as so many bands have been doing lately, since it was going on 4 years without the mention of new material. But lo and behold, out of nowhere, Asylum Cave materialized into existence. I'd imagine the feeling I had when I heard about it being akin to a religious zealot spotting Christ's face in their fish n' chips; pure, almost spiritual elation.
And let me tell you, they really don't disappoint. From the sampled intro and the first 10 seconds of the opening track "Asylum Cave", my face immediately began to melt and my ears nearly fainted from the multiple aural orgasms being thrust upon them. To give you a little background of the band, they play a perfect amalgamation of death metal, grindcore, hardcore, black metal, and slam metal. While the mix may sound kind of overwhelming and almost hack-ish, they are one of the few bands who fuse nearly every style of metal together perfectly, basically creating a genre all their own. They've infused everything from reggae chants to DJ samples to hip hop into their sound, blending it in the most tasteful ways.
With Asylum Cave the band have yet again cranked it up a notch. They've clearly evolved as musicians and have yet again written some of the catchiest and heaviest riffs ever recorded. Vocalist Julien Truchan has the range of a death metal god, employing nearly every style of scream and growl into their songs and executing them all perfectly.
Speaking of vocals, another big stand out on this record are the guest appearances. From the first line of "Unborn Infected Children" I knew right away that it was Aborted's Sven de Caulwe backing Julien's immortal shrieks. (If you're familiar with Aborted at all you know Sven has one of the most distinctive screams in metal). While the fact that he's on here at all is enough to make me put on my happy pants, it's how his vocals are used that really make the song stand out. Most of the time, when someone makes a guest appearance on an album, it's for one verse or a few screams here and there to enhance the song. But in "Unborn" Sven and Julien split the vocal duties nearly in half throughout the entire song, creating an awe-inspiring and outright brutal back and forth between the two thats effectiveness is palpable.
The other notable guest appearance is by that of Devourment's Mike Majewski. While I am a big fan of Devourment, I have to say that I wouldn't be able to pick out Mike's voice in a six-pack of other slam metal vocalists. That's not to say he doesn't do it well, just that it's pretty much the standard low end gurgle that permeates the genre. It was only after I read the liner notes that I realized those putrid growls on "A Quiet Day" were that of Mr. Majewski. Again, it's not just a small section of the song that features Mike but a tasteful sprinkle throughout the whole thing. It is very evident that the men of Benighted put a lot of thought into the composition and execution of these songs.
Of course I have to speak out about the drumming on the record. Drummer Kevin "Kikou" Foley has outdone himself this time. While always a competent drummer (his work on ICON was outstanding), he's managed to elevate himself to the level of death metal virtuoso over the last four years, equating his playing with some of the greatest of the genre (Tim Yeung, Tony Lazarro, Gene Hoglan, etc). Not only is his playing inhumanly fast, but--like the rest of the band--it's tasteful. He almost never plays the same fill twice, and just when you think you know what beat he's going to throw behind a certain portion of the song he surprises you and does something completely different but utterly effective. He's an up and comer in the genre and I hope he expands his talents even further in the coming years (it seems he has joined another French-bred [get it?] band Disavowed, who are also high up on the list of technical prowess, so I'm eager to hear what he does with them).
All in all Asylum Cave is a metal head's wet dream. From beginning to end the album tells a story and doesn't let up for a second. The prolific nature of the songs keeps you interested and begging for more as the album plows through to the end. I really hope these guys get more attention here in the States and start playing some shows out here. If they do I'll be first in line to see them tear it up over here. But for now I will eagerly await whatever they offer up next. I just hope I don't have to wait another 4 years for the next one. Early prediction: Asylum Cave is the album of the year, and that's saying a lot as 2011's slate is chock-full of new releases from some of the heaviest hitters in the scene.
9/10
Track Listing:
1. Asylum Cave
2. Let The Blood Spill Between My Broken Teeth
3. Prey
4. Hostile
5. Fritzl
6. Unborn Infected Children
7. The Cold Remains
8. A Quiet Day
9. Shadows Descend
10. Swallow
11. Lethal Mercyism
12. Drowning
Favorite Song: Prey
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