One of the perks of the pandemic situation is that there is even more time to discover and review albums that otherwise, you may not have touched. In this case, IGORRR‘s “Spirituality and Distortion.”
Founded by French multi-instrumentalist Gautier Serre, IGORRR was initially influenced by the likes of MESHUGGAH, CANNIBAL CORPSE, APHEX TWINS, but also (and this is where it gets interesting) Chopin and Bach. More importantly, IGORRR is a unique blend of music that I haven’t come across before. “Spirituality and Distortion” was released via Metal Blade Records on 27 March 2020.
In metal, there has been somewhat of a shift towards very radio-friendly, catchy tracks with an uncountable amount of hooks. Perhaps it was the fact that “Spirituality and Distortion” is so different from that or the fact that this album is as extravagant as baroque music, but “Spirituality and Distortion” touched me in ways music doesn’t do anymore nowadays.
The unique blend of experimentation, which often shifts between classical baroque music, trip-hop, breakcore, dubstep, Arabic folk, and black/death/progressive metal is unusual, unpredictable, but so damn interesting. The whole album is very diverse and with every second comes a surprise you didn’t expect before, yet so very consistent. The opener “Downgrade Dessert” is exactly what the title pictures, while the opening melody might transform you into the magical story of “One Thousand and One Nights,” the song continues with dirty distorted riffs à la BLACK SABBATH, before introducing the incredible soprano Laure Le Prununec. “Nervous Waltz” continues with again some interesting perspective: a perfect string quartet, but then progresses into a black metal -inspired feast driven by blast beats, before it dives into an atmospheric section.
“Camel Dancefloor” is a perfect illustration of Arabic folk that is mad fun and makes you want to dance. “Musette Maximum” takes the bagpipe to a whole other level with its circus frenzy feel to it, along with aggressive metal riffs coming your way. Clocking in at over 7 minutes, “Himalaya Massive Ritual” is perhaps the most grande epic track. It starts with a classic black metal sound, blast beats with dirty riffs, impressive drums, and a wonderfully grim atmosphere. When the orchestrations set in, the sound becomes huge and the song only starts from there. It has very moving moments, including goosebump-inducing singing and is probably one of the album’s true highlights showing IGORRR in all its facets, of which the second single “Parpaing,” also is a perfect example.
“Spirituality and Distortion” is a refined album with a unique approach to songwriting, blending genres that are not meant to be together in a peculiar, but a masterfully-crafted way. Even though 2020 has just started, I can already tell this album is going to be one of my very favorites of the year due to its progressive and one-of-a-kind nature.
Tracklist
- Downgrade Desert
- Nervous Waltz
- Very Noise
- Hollow Tree
- Camel Dancefloor
- Parpaing
- Musette Maximum
- Himalaya Massive Ritual
- Lost in Introspection
- Overweight Posey
- Paranoid Bulldozer Italiano
- Barocco Satani
- Polyphonic Rust
- Kung-Fu Chèvre
Lineup
Gautier Serre – Bossman
Timba Harris – Violin
Mike Leon – Bass
Matt Lebofsky – Piano
Mehdi Haddab – Oud
Pierre Mussi – Accordion
Fotini Kokkala – Kanoun
Benjamin Bardiaux – Harpsichord
Laure Le Prunenec, Jasmine Barra – Chanteuses
Laurent Lunoir, Pierre Lacasa – Vocals
George Fischer – Vocals
Merp Merp – Drum
Label
Metal Blade Records
Links
Facebook: /IgorrrBarrroque/
Twitter: @IgorrrBarrroque
Bandcamp: /igorrr.bandcamp.com/
Instagram: /Igorrr_Music
Soundcloud: /Igorrr
