« Cathartic«
Independent
2014
France has long been a country with minimal « metallic » allusions compared to Scandinavia, England or the U.S. but has maintained its fair share of quality bands! AD HOMINEM, ANOREXIA NERVOSA, GOJIRA and ALCEST may be in one’s top « go to bands » when discussing France’s contribution to the genre. Enter, AD EXTIRPENDA, the latest French troupe to stain Metal’s unholy altar with « Cathartic« , their debut album out this year! Focusing on a melodic blend of Blackened Death, the sextet is primed to make their mark, but will this album be enough to convince the genre’s critical ears?
Proceeding after a symphonic intro immediately sparking interest, AD EXTIRPENDA manages to arrive at very familiar grounds where melodic riffs and gentle atmosphere grace just about every song on « Cathartic » to predictable results. However, there are moments interspersed throughout that do generate rich ambiance and eye-popping musical ideas. « Dominic and the Perfect » and « Holocauste » offer beautiful breaks of smooth, delicate instrumentation before returning to ’90’s Swedish Black/Death or slow, thumping heaviness!
Readily apparent on « Cathartic » are the numerous keyboard passages that ebb and flow effortlessly on « Church of the Wolves« , « Béziers » and « Flet Victus« , the latter including a notable effort in choral singing! « The Inquisitor » does a fine job of creating a foreboding and menacing urgency but once again returns to that reliable « mid-point break ». Uniquely, « Augustus » sounds vaguely Middle Eastern in its riff pattern and Orpahange–inspired Gregorian chants. Making for an epically rousing aria, the song is a guaranteed highlight and would sit nicely on an album by Quebec’s, AETERNAM.
For all intents and purposes, France’s AD EXTIRPENDA has checked all the right boxes with debut, « Cathartic« . Although, with prolific similarities to 1990’s Melo-Blackened/Death well tread originators, the album just seems to be a pattern in an already well made quilt. Including moments of real ingenuity, AD EXTIRPENDA shines when the ideas step outside the box. It’s when the metallic bombast is featured along with simplistic main riffs, that one tends to place the group within the « been there, done that » category. If « Cathartic » was released in 1996, it most likely would place on many year-end, Top 20 lists.
Standout Tracks: Dominic and the Perfect, Flet Victus, Augustus
6.5/10
Chris
