Style: Progressive death/black metal (harsh vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Opeth, Ne Obliviscaris, Enslaved
Country: Switzerland
Release date: 1 March 2024
Year: 10,191 AA (After Andy)
I, the Emperor of All Known Prog-Death, Zacharius IV, sit bored atop the Åkerthrone. Each time one of my humble servants brings me a concept album, I promptly have them executed for it pertaining to fantasy, as I have listened to far too many tales of ancient heroes and mystical swords, and what I truly crave is a space opera concept. One that thrives on the tales of intergalactic war, planetary empires and melodrama with a technological backdrop. I suppose I could ask one of my servants to bring me Dvne’s Etemen Ænka or Vektor’s Terminal Redux for the hundredth time, but I truly crave something new.
To say my interest was piqued when my loyal imperial servant, Samuel of House Philips, brought to me an album which he claimed boasted “dynamic songwriting” and “long ass runtimes” atop of a space opera theme was undeniable. I raised a brow as he gently slid the large wax disc brough to him as an offering by this band, Mathilde, onto the Imperial Large Wax Disc Player and stepped aside.
I closed my eyes as the opening synths began to play, and they promptly shot open as ‘Mise En Orbite’ exploded into blast-beat laden, tremolo-picked goodness. My laughter in amazement was so loud that even the neighboring star-system could likely hear it. Surely, this was the album I had been so patiently waiting for since my entry into the Court of the Subway. This was my golden goose, an album so good that I would decree it a 10/10 in imperial ratings.
Then, the album kept going, and I began to lose track of which song was which due to them all blending together. The distant space-bards of Mathilde play an underwritten style of the most valuable subgenre in the universe. All the pieces of good songs are here, but Mathilde is far too ambitious for their own good. Halfway through ‘Mise En Orbite’, I began to check my chronomatrix to see how much time had passed. It feels far longer than it should due to actual lack of dynamics. The crown jewel of my empire, Opeth, understands where to place their heavy and soft sections. Mathile understands this to a certain extent, as the breakdown and buildup near the end of the opener proves so. But there seems to be far too much empty space (heh) in between the beginning and end of this twelve-minute song where nothing of interest happens.
’32 Decembre parte I’ does slightly better with a mere 5-minute runtime, and sees Mathilde consolidate their efforts into not making a song as long as possible, but as interesting as possible. A bass tapping section leading into galloping snare and synths would sound incredible without the vocalist sounding as though he suffered a recent breakup. I understand the emotive nature of Mathilde’s bard-craftings, but his constant one-tone, pained scream makes this album almost headache inducing.
‘Mathilde’ and ’32 Decembre parte II’ should feel like the sweeping album closers they’re supposed to be, but everything falls flat because of underbaked songwriting. While the individual sections would make for great parts of a song, they don’t quite fit together as nicely as I’d like. Take the section that lasts from about 2:30 onward in ‘Mathilde’. They let the song breathe for far too long, and the payoff nearly five minutes later doesn’t make up for lost time. The song should be cut two minutes short, and would be far better off for it.
Overall, Mathilde is far from talentless. They are clearly ambitious and talented enough with the drive to make a 5 song, nearly hour-long debut. But their songwriting is still young, and as such, falters. They want to make a long song without enough good ideas to fill it up. Perhaps, in a few years’ time, they will bring an offering worthy of the greats, as I’ve found the embedded concept to be fascinating. For now, though, I will have Samuel executed for a mediocre offering. Until next time, Mathilde.
Recommended tracks: Mise en Orbite, Mathilde
You may also like: Dessiderium, Aquilus, Disillusion
Final verdict: 5.5/10
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Instagram | Metal-Archives page
Label: Independent
Mathilde is:
– Cedric Pretat (bass)
– Axel Vuille (drums)
– Louis Linares (guitars)
– Colin Humair (guitars)
– Anton Simon (keyboards)
– Alessio Giuliano (guitars)
– Romaric Gendre (vocals)
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