This is the second album from Gros Enfant Mort, a post-hardcore solo band from France.
Gros Enfant Mort are full band live, but in the studio the singer handles all instruments and vocals. Le Sang des Pierres is a 36 -minute album that scratches an itch that’s rarely reached these days.
Le Sang des Pierres showcases an artist that knows how to write quality music. Across the album you’ll encounter charismatic post-hardcore that has a healthy screamo aspect. It also has a decent older hardcore influence that reminds me of the sort of stuff I was listening to heavily in the 00s on labels like Trustkill and Ferret Records, but with an obvious contemporary flavour. This sort of style is hard to get right, but here it is in very capable hands.
The songs are satisfyingly heavy when they need to be, and the whole record benefits from a strong sound. It’s an album of raging emotion and heartfelt catharsis. Moments of delicate introspection appear, as do outbursts of pure molten fury, but mostly we get to experience a journey that traverses both terrains. The songs balance chaos and brutality against melody and texture. This is a key driver of the appeal of the songs – the artist has captured a snapshot of a fine balancing act being achieved, resulting in music that feels very complete and well-rounded. These are fully fledged, well-rendered songs, with layers, feeling, structure, and dynamics, all focused on emotive depth, but with heaviness and hooks that are infectious.
Essentially, this is a damn good album. If your tastes run to the hardcore and screamo areas, then this is one for you.
Highly recommended.
Wonderbox Metal 