SHEOL

HYPNO5E is this French experimental metal band born in 2003. Based on extreme sounds, cinematics, concepts like on 'Alba' dating back to 2018 where I noted prog hovering melancholy acoustic as OPETH did so well; since then, this art-rock movement has become much more avant-garde metal with dissonant sounds, breaks in rhythm and classic ambient post-rock; towering riffs and grooves, like life's ups and downs; unique experience like sheol, this mythical place of eternal rest.

"Sheol - Part I" intro spleen depressive, languorous, voice from over there, from VALLEJO for the text, singular space, restful before "Sheol - Part II" tumbles cold, violent, austere like the clip shot on the mountain Ventoux in the middle of a storm; the doom-death groove gives way to a cinematic moment showing the landscape through a clearing in the fog; desolating moment of all beauty; the screaming, screaming voices, then muffled with those of women in French; on KWOON increasing the austere aspect of this musical fury with a little djent after the cinematic scents; Emmanuel with the voices passes from the soft to the brutal without problem, thus anesthetizing the debauchery of animal riffs like THE OCEAN; the heavy, jerky drums, memories of the ANATHEMA sound from the primary period. "Bone Dust" violins for melancholy intro and dark melody, that of the 1st day of the World; female voice amplifying the contemplative side, announcing an apocalyptic air worthy of the Man emerging from his cave; the heavy riff à la GOJIRA in their prog metal phase fits almost miraculously even when there is a return of the delicate melody; symbiosis between technicality and rage, gloom and light with a finale making the progs go away who did not accept the metallic and progressive fusion of this fabulous title. "Tauca - Part I" acoustic guitar interlude, remedy to recover from this debauchery of sounds, such as 'The Battle Of Evermore' gently; no metallic djent break, here it's an evening resting by the fireside by the lake.

"Lava From The Sky" seems to leave on the same atmosphere, dark metal of the end of the world it is you who see, the kind of oxymorian music that I love; madness with latent sweetness and savagery, an experimental death sound laced with depressive post rock; we can only be in the subjective here, in the eye of the storm between calm and chaos; a bit of violins, progressive choirs for an ambient calm and a dissonant maelstrom. "The Dreamer And His Dream" with a cinematic intro worthy of a 'Promotheus', dark, lugubrious, invading, solemn, with a classic rhythm; wind instruments then a seated acoustic guitar, bringing a crescendo that starts on the sound of BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME, modern and nervous, tinged with an explosive and melancholic nuance at the same time, a bit like MY DYING BRIDE did so well; a musically deconstructed sound; umpteenth break around 9 minutes where the big Bertha gets into action, staggering before leaving on a serene post-rock sound; to note during these pieces the narration of the texts of poets like SEXTON or DESNOS. "Slow Steams Of Darkness - Part I" with an extract from 'Enfants du Paradis' and the saving piano and classical guitar interlude for an ethereal title bringing "Slow Steams Of Darkness - Part II" to a djent-post- experimental rock-metal with proven paroxysmal doom, amen. A text recited before a yelled, groovy, skinned cry which denotes here, too violent in view of the radiant instrumental parts; the voice becomes soft, and we would like it to remain so; yet another yelled cry, an evil riff, an avalanche of drum pads, the growl arrives, it saturates; and the finale the real one on a piano bed to come back down to earth; but where were you, heaven or hell or ghost between these two worlds?

HYPNO5E released the perfect album in this musical genre; ambient metal, extreme post rock for an inner ghostly journey; a visionary album that must be deciphered, translated, amalgamated to bring out its musical marrow, much more progressive than it seems at first glance; between THE OCEAN and KWOON, between Devin TOWNSEND and BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME, dark-djent-progressive too, a French group which should finally have its worldwide recognition in the very closed circle of underground cult groups. Brutal but melodic album, powerful but intimate, cinematic and progressive, immense, drowned in prog meanders, with unstoppable spleen melodies bringing profusions of eidolies through its musical curves. (5 for compositions in this musical genre.)