Switzerland is the new hotspot for good metal. Another example apart from the HUMMUS and HUC-communities? Apart from Rorcal, Death.Void.Terror? Easy, take Montecharge
Although, it would be pretty far-stretched to call the band from Geneva “newcomers”, because they have been around since 2007 yet highly unproductive, as Demons or Someone Else is their debut full-length.
The interesting thing about Montecharge are the small things within their sound construct, located somewhere between blackened post-metal and industrial hardcore. The band uses a kind of flirring industrial echo on some of their guitar tracks and the use of drum computer is also not uncommon so that all in all the listener is guided through some kind of industrial landscape upon entering the 36 minutes encompassing eight songs and three interludes.
The tracks have Roman numerals (which might indicate a time of writing) and further names and interestingly they are not arranged in numerical order as one might think when seeing the track titles. The band itself progresses nicely through the track list and shows a lot of different sides of their musical identity. Sometimes this can be straightforward, noisy rock bastards like “XVII Oreste” or “XIX Protagonists Antagonists”, sometimes the tracks take more time and have a bit of a 60s vibe (note the use of the tambourine in “XIII Encircle the Earth”.
Edward Hay’s work behind the drumkit is unique as it is very hard and precise and needs to form the whole rhythmic basis to the songs alone as there is no bass player in the lineup, generally the instrumentation is very interesting as a guitarist, a synth-player and a vocalist share the stage with Hay. The one thing the band lacks is a feeling for the necessity of small, slow-down parts in the songs to give the audience a moment to breathe. The three interludes provide these moments on the album, yet, sometimes a bit more time would benefit the songs. Nevertheless, this lament is rather a tidbit among the whirlwind that is Demons or Someone Else - which will be highly enjoyed by people who like Knut or Converge.
