An exiting genre blender full-length debut from the French duo based in Clermont Ferrand three years after their promising debut EP.
As duos have proved before - thinking of Mantar and Pil & Bue - the power of drums and guitar can be massive in the hands of seasoned musicians. OCRE shows this to the fullest in a musical journey that ranges from dense and heavy to delicate and acoustic. The musical output is escorted by vocals that sometimes soar above the music, sometimes immersed themselves in it, and sometimes move centerstage, strong in front of the sonics.
The duo blends genres dipping into Stoner, Grunge, Sludge, and even a whiff of Doom in the heaviest part, and also some Post-Rock in a song with higher pitched tremolos. The guitar sound ranges from delicately clean to densely robust, and the drums follow and lead with heavy-handed hits on the floor and bass drums. The vocals, in part, seem detached from the music in a laid-back sense. When it drifts away within the flow of the music, like on “It Was Nothing”, it seems dreamy as it forms a captivating melody sung in harmony and thenlingers in the Grunge sonics.
The album´s opener ”Don’t Worry” is dense with heavy riffs on the dissonant side and massive rumbling drums. The fuzzy music is contrasted by some chilled clean vocals. The song’s flow goes through subtle undulating changes up to one part when the music ascends alongside brighter chords from the guitar before it fuses back into heavy riffs. The track hammers on with lighter melodic intervals, constantly shifting. It is a fascinating soundscape that the band creates, floating between sludgy chords and Grunge with entrancing vocals bordering on dreamy as it proceeds immersed in the music.
As if contrasting the two first songs, ”The Three Stages Of Stress is an energetic romp with fast beats and vibrant rhythms, constantly shifting guitar lines. In the middle, the song opens up with prolonged melodic chords and vocals until it fuses back into the hard and fast rhythm. The vocals are as fascinating as ever as they seem disconnected from the fast pace, but at the same time form the song´s melodic theme. The song rushes forward until it crumbles in the end.
The vocals are still mesmerizingly different on the next song, ”So Long”, where it is strong and placed at the very front of the sonics. This track flows forward until it surges into heavy riffs, with the varied drumming giving a lot of energy to the musical current. The song simmers down and opens the sonics to make room for another take with strong vocals. It then fuses back again into denser sonics, but with very melodic vocals leading towards a swell of higher pitched guitar lines before it simmers down in the end.
”Take A Look” is an instrumental transition with melodic prolonged fuzzy riffs and diverse and increasing drumming driving the music forward right into the next song, ”The Mirror”. This song continues the melodic creativity with varied guitars and constantly changing rhythm with heavy riffs mixing different sounds until it reaches the next intense song with shifty drumming and hammering riffs oozing of energy. ”I.L.Y.” has floating vocals above an opening in the dense music before it melts back into the dense fast-paced rhythm. Another shift in the flow opens the soundscapes to let the vocals sing and hover.
The album closes with two longer, textured songs, ”Don’t Count On Them” and ”So Often” that sweep through the sonics with fast rhythmic riffs, shooting the first song forward, that are met by heavy and fast drumming. The guitar lifts the flow to higher chords with tremolos forming a melodic theme in the background. The song develops and provides a lot of intense, energetic, fast-paced music racing towards the end. Then comes the contrast as ”So Often” opens with a delicate acoustic guitar and a warm, soft texture. In the foreground of the mix, there are strong vocals that lift the track before it melts into heavy sonics with harmonic drifting vocals hovering above the riffs and drums. The song changes direction with clear strumming guitar, contrasted by hard drums before it fuses back into a melodic filled soundscape with the vocals drifting along the melodic lines. A new turn of the music as the pace slows down and prolonged riffs fill the sonics, lifting the veil of melodic vocals until it all fades away in the end.
This album is quite a feat of a musical endeavor and will be enjoyed by everyone appreciating genre-expanding heavy music.
