For many years, the French had a bad name in metal, despite the fact that the country has had a thriving underground scene, and it is only recently that the true depth of artistry has become apparent, thanks in no small part to the explosion of Gojira. This can only be a good thing, although it does lead to an unfortunate tendency for every subsequent band to be drawn into comparisons with that band, whether such a comparison is warranted or not.
Inevitably, the dreaded G word will be raised again with Insolvency, despite the fact that the band have spent the last five years building a solid reputation built upon an entirely different set of influences. With plenty of experience under their collective belts, Insolvency headed into the studio in 2016 to record ‘Antagonism of the soul’, their debut album, which is slated for release in January, 2018 via Send The Wood Records. Their music states influences including Unearth, All that remains and Trivium, and the band certainly share a wide-eyed ambition with those bands, although their assault is, if anything, even more ferociously metallic than the above named. Featuring eleven tracks, the first of which, ‘divided’, is a short, synth intro, ‘Antagonism of the soul’ is a vibrant, ambitious album, that makes the most of its influences to deliver an impressive first offering.
Following on from ‘divided’, which is basically a moment of calm before the inevitable storm, Insolvency arrive with the explosive ‘tears of the world’, a pummelling slab of metal core delivered with multi-layered vocals and a hyperactive energy that is hard to ignore. Drummer Mickael Tamario is a demon behind the kit, unleashing a barrage that guitarists Bruno Blackstard and Valentin Gondouin have to work hard to overcome. This they do with aplomb, offering up blistering riffs and deftly harmonised leads that add much to the power of the music. Jim Pinder and Carl Brown (BFMY, Machine Head) can produce this sort of thing in their sleep, and they give the band the commercial edge they need to take things to the next level, keeping things powerful, but well separated at the same time. The album’s title track sees a trad metal influence creep into its layered intro, before heading into familiar metal core territory as the track progresses. On the one hand, it would make a fine single with its taut riffs and melodic vocals but, on the other hand, it eschews the band’s creative streak and offers little that distinguishes it from similarly-influenced acts. Moving swiftly on, ‘violation’ looks to be every bit as unpleasant as its title, emerging from a harrowing roar and only getting heavier form there. Suddenly, however, it all dissipates as the band introduce acoustic guitars and half-whispered vocals. It’s this kind of twisted dynamic that could mark Insolvency out as something more than just followers, but things quickly return to a tried-and-tested formula with screamed vocals layered over the clean as if to hide the catchy melody that the band can’t resist introducing into the mix. An album highlight, ‘black moon’ has an early in Flames vibe with unhinged roars sweetened only occasionally by the banks of synths which underpin the piece. It’s a monumental track, and it shows where Insolvency’s greatest strengths lie.
The second half opens with a short, instrumental piece entitled ‘hope’ that segues into the stuttering, ‘I’m revulsed by death’ a track that sounds as if it wants to play with commerciality, but which offers far too many excursions into technicality to reach too far towards the masses. As a result, it’s a far more interesting track than a first glance suggests, and it’s another example of Insolvency making use of commercial forms when the mood takes them, without succumbing to the temptation of streamlining their sound for a few extra plays. Opening to the crackly sound of vinyl, ‘this war is not for you’ is a haunting piece of music that initially sounds as if it belongs on a different record. Despite some blustery storms, there’s a trad metal vibe which is, in many ways, preferable to the gleaming, modern surfaces found elsewhere, and it’s another album highlight. The album continues to impress with the hypnotic and varied ‘A leaving life, a new beginning’, which features some great bass work and a more nuanced approach than the opening tracks suggest. Perhaps the band were keen to get people hooked before unveiling their more experimental material, but at any rate the second half of the album really gets under the skin in a way that the opening tracks merely hint at, and there’s a wonderful sense of progression as you work through the record. Closing the album are two, full-blooded belters. The first is ‘your lost soul’, a chuggy beast with stair-stepping guitar work and echo-laden vocals. The grand finale is ‘death wish’, which was recently released as a single. Initially slow paced, with towering chords and a churning beat, ‘death wish’ soon demonstrates why the band selected it for a single, and it sees the album out on a suitably blistering high.
Overall, Insolvency have delivered an impressive first offering, which builds from the solid foundation of its first half into a full-blown behemoth by the time the second half spins to a halt. Frontloading the album with conventional cuts is probably a wise move in these days of streaming, but, for myself, the album becomes far more interesting as the band move out from under the comforting umbrella of genre tropes and to really let their own personalities show. The production is very clean and modern, which works for this style of music, and it’s obvious that the band have a ton of potential. A great introduction to insolvency, ‘antagonism of the soul’ sees the band deploy and then augment the metal core formula, advancing their own cause in the process. There are plenty of hooks to keep you coming back for more, scattered around the album, but it’s where the band head off the beaten path that this album really cooks. Cracking stuff indeed. 8
