Review: -ii- – Apostles of the Flesh

Cover photography by Benjamin Racine

Style: Gothic rock, darkwave, trip-hop, industrial (mostly clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Chelsea Wolfe, Nine Inch Nails, Massive Attack
Country: France
Release date: 3 October 2025

There’s something about fall that just makes the season a natural match for all things eldritch and supernatural. A chill begins to pervade the air, night encroaches more and more upon the day, and dead leaves accumulate upon the ground in an ever-present reminder of mortality. It is a time of harvest, of reaping scythes and eerie scarecrows, of exultant festivals and bonfires sending embers into the night. In short, it’s a perfect time to drink deep the occult, witchy stylings of the awkwardly-named gothic rock ensemble -ii-¹, specifically their latest offering Apostles of the Flesh. Citing influences from the likes of Nine Inch Nails and Chelsea Wolfe, this French coven of sonic ritualists throw bits and pieces of industrial, trip-hop, and post-rock into their bubbling, steaming cauldron. But will the end result leave listeners successfully hexed, or will it all end up boiling over?

From the very start, it’s clear that -ii- are all about that austere, autumnal atmosphere, and they achieve it admirably. Layers of buzzing guitars and pulsating industrial synths, courtesy of multi-instrumentalist Benjamin Racine, form a central sound that scrapes along the edge of the listener’s psyche in a way that’s just abrasive enough to be strangely pleasant. The rhythm section suits this vibe immaculately as well; pounding, ritualistic drumming from David L’Huillier drives each conjuration inexorably onward while Maxime Keller’s bass occasionally breaks forth from the woodwork with a palpable, crisp crunch, particularly in the intro to “Digging for Blood”. Meanwhile, layers of spooky choirs, ethereal synth strings, and the occasional bit of exotic instrumentation such as a bouzouki² form the cherry on top of the arrangements, fleshing each one out into a lush, entrancing soundscape deep enough to drown in.

But no spell is complete without its incantations, and Hélène Ruzic’s distinctive vocals are more than up to the task of channeling the fell energies that the instrumentals have sent crackling through the air. Her voice is lighter in timbre than most, taking on an ethereal, almost playful tone that relishes in the sensual push and pull of each melody as she picks it apart. Yet there’s a hard-edged darkness beneath the flirtation, and occasionally her voice will ascend to a raspy, fevered scream (“Lotis”) or a banshee-like shriek (“The Fountain of Helicon”).  Her lyricism, too, reinforces the atmosphere expertly – sure, there’s the explicitly pagan “Sisters of the Coven” or the poetically horny “The Birth of Venus”³, but even the comparatively subtle tracks paint pictures of twisted rituals beneath bleeding skies, of misty cathedrals drowning into oblivion, of the ecstasy and agony as bodies become one with the earth around them.

Above all else, the songs here feel suffused in that deliberate, volatile mix of thesis and antithesis that underlies so much of horror – the seductive and gentle versus the unsettling and horrific, the earthy, sensual physicality of our world versus the eldritch unknowability of the one beyond… the treat versus the trick, if you will. Take L’Huillier’s percussion, for instance: at times it takes the form of ritualistic and organic drumming, an eagerly pounding heartbeat that gives tracks like “The Fountain of Helicon” an almost breathless feel. Yet at other times, he takes to electronic percussion to tap out glitchy, unsettling trip-hop rhythms that combine with Racine’s synths to form something decidedly more squelchy and off-putting. It’s a common theme – the drums, folk instruments, and pretty vocal melodies draw victims hypnotically inward, while harsher, grittier industrial elements keep eerie chills running down their spines all the while. Gratifyingly, this doesn’t manifest in a series of samey descents into the spooky, either; some tracks, like “Sisyphus in Red”, move in the opposite direction, kicking off with a bleak, grinding intro before ascending into a beautiful post-rock climax full of euphoric toms and soaring synth strings. The overall effect makes it uncertain whether one is beholding a beautiful veneer over a grotesque heart, or vice versa.

And yet there are elements of Apostles of the Flesh that prevent it from ensorcelling its listeners without some slight complications. For one, it’s a tad overlong for a record with such a consistent atmosphere and tempo; no tracks (aside from perhaps spoken-word interlude “L’Onde et l’Abysse”) feel noticeably weak or cuttable, but at a sizable hour and five minutes’ runtime, I do find the particulars of late-album tracks like “When Beauty is a Crime” slipping from my mind into a sea of vaguely occult vibes. Most unfortunately, though, the excellent sound design and mixing of the instrumentals doesn’t always extend to Ruzic’s vocals. In “Where the Diamonds are Hurled”, for instance, it’s clear she’s putting her all into belting out its central hook, but the mixing takes what should be a massive climax and leaves her vocals sounding anemic and overwhelmed by the wailing instruments. Some more presence from her in the album’s heavier moments would have done a great deal to make them hit with proper force.

These issues aside, though, -ii- have crafted an incredibly solid soundtrack for spooky season. This record is sensual not just in the sense of lust (though it absolutely is that), but in the way that its sound design and songwriting evoke the scents, sounds, and sensations of Halloween and fall in general. Scratchy synths crunch underfoot with the texture of falling leaves, sweet vocal melodies hum as enticingly as the smell of hot apple cider, and the distant screams of lost spirits make you realize that life is fragile and your soul may be the next one claimed upon the ritual pyre… Or maybe that last one’s just me.

Recommended tracks: The Birth of Venus, Sisyphus in Red, The Fountain of Helicon
You may also like: i Häxa, Church of the Sea, Tvinna
Final verdict: 7.5/10

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-ii- is:
– Hélène Ruzic (vocals, piano)
– Benjamin Racine (guitars, percussion, synths, piano, bouzouki, xaphoon)
– Maxime Keller (bass, synths, prepared piano)
– David l’Huillier (drums, percussion)

1.  Pronounced “two eyes”, which absolutely does not help the band’s ability to be Googled. ↩︎
2. Funnily enough, the Greek instrument’s inclusion does make certain moments, such as the bridge of “Pearls Beneath the Embers”, feel straight out of the soundtrack to the Hades games. This likely wasn’t intended, but given Hades II‘s increased focus on all things witchy, it does feel strangely apropos. ↩︎
3.  It kinda reads as if Type O Negative‘s “Love You To Death” were written by Mary Shelley, if that makes any sense. ↩︎