Style: Gothic metal, industrial metal, alternative metal (clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Lacuna Coil, Epica, Megara, Ankor
Country: France
Release date: 10 January 2025
I find the French metal scene is much like the Italian metal scene in that the bands who are interested in exporting culture by singing in their native tongue seem few and far between. Imagine that even the biggest French metal band in the world, when playing on the biggest stage in the world, in their native country, singing a metal version of a traditional folk song, couldn’t help but throw an English verse into it.1 I just had to fucking roll my eyes and laugh. What an achievement for Anglophone metal, I guess. So when I find a band that sings in their native tongue, I’m immediately more interested in listening to that than I would be in listening to another similar band who sings in English, and today that brings me to Parisians ELYOSE and their newest album Évidence. A tasty blend of djenty riffs, industrial synths, and gothic atmosphere, neatly packaged with a glossy and tight production, there’s enough earworms here to keep you happily humming along even if your only experience with the French language is the sizing at Starbucks.
Évidence has a very defined and crisp sound that is in contrast to the more loosely cinematic or theatrical feel of the symphonic and gothic metal style. Guitarist Anthony Chognard opts instead for sharp, aggressive djent riffing in the vein of Australian progressive pop metal outfit Voyager or even Mick Gordon‘s DOOM soundtracks but never straying too far from the gothic/industrial influence: in this way I’m reminded of later Lacuna Coil releases more than something like Nightwish. Chognard is also in charge of drums, and they sound massive and play well with the stop-start guitar work, often coming through in double-kick bursts and keeping the energy up, even adding a blast-beat section in “Immuable” punctuated by a staccato vocal that sounded really sinister.
ELYOSE really shines in their use of synths on Évidence to add texture, sometimes creating ambiance with soft pads (“Abnégation”) and at other times playing complex arpeggiated leads as an intensifier before a heavy intro (“Ascension Tracée”). The synths are a good way of differentiating sections and creating a sense of movement within a track, and when that filter opens up you know some shit’s about to go down. The symphonic and electronic sounds sit well in the mix and do well not to overpower the vocals of singer Justine Daaé, who sits comfortably in her expansive range, varying from haunting and powerful high notes to a more alternative/nu-metal-inspired almost-rap cadence (“Mission Lunaire”, “Tentatives Échouées”).
The use of decidedly pop elements across Évidence lend it a more accessible sound: the song structures are generally on the more conventional side and the durations don’t drag out too long; the djent influence in the riffing generally lacks complexity; the aforementioned alternative metal vocal style is very pop-coded, and ELYOSE favors electronic or metalcore breakdowns with the spotlight on the vocals rather than guitar solos. That’s all a little cliché but it works well enough within the broader idea. ELYOSE aren’t trying to reinvent the wheel or break new ground here, and I find myself often drawing comparisons with their 2023 release Déviante. While I applaud them for sticking to a formula that works, I wonder if maybe they could’ve been a bit more adventurous with their soundscapes and arrangements.
Évidence is a fun, uncomplicated, 40-ish minute romp, with lots of hooky electronic parts, rhythmic groove, and a penchant for getting vocal melodies stuck in your head. And I want to extend praise for the mostly-French track listing that adds a certain je ne sais quoi to the experience. It’s always a pleasure to hear a band put out a release in their native language even if it narrows the market a little bit—and to the naysayers who may complain about not understanding the lyrics, I posit that they seldom lodge the same complaints against extreme metal outfits with harsh vocals. ELYOSE are obviously skilled at what they do, but I’d love to see them expand on it a little with the next release.
Recommended tracks: “Tentatives échouées”, “Prête au combat”, “Théogyne 2.0”
You may also like: Manigance, Vilivant, Lisa Dal Bello
Final verdict: 6/10
Related links: Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Instagram | Metal-Archives page
Label: Independent
ELYOSE is:
– Justine Daaé (vocals, keyboards, programming)
– Anthony Chognard (guitars, bass, drums)
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