Album Review: The Baptized - Exilion
Reviewed by Matthew Williams
There are certain sounds that make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, like the opening of a sparkling cider or the pop from a bottle of well-aged port, and the opening sounds of “Welcome to Exilion” falls into this category. Within seconds of listening to the creative work laid in front of me, I immediately felt at ease and comfortable with what I heard, so I sat back and immersed myself in the galactic world of The Baptized.
The Baptized are 3 cousins, Juien, Nicola and Vincent, who were all born in the same year and are ready to share their musical odyssey with the world, a hybrid blending of stoner, post-punk and psychedelia, and when you hear “Furvent” you won’t fail to be impressed. It’s a storming track, that is a nod to Alain Damasio’s “La Horde du Contrevent” where the concept begins. The bass opening by Julien on “Endless Blast” gives a sense of drama and tension that is waiting to unfold and furthers the notion of violent wind.
The trio are exceptionally talented and with no lyrics coming at you, the focus is firmly on the composition and is open to your personal interpretation. The band comments that “Exilion is a wasteland in a post-apocalyptic settling, where all the worst thugs and damned are sent to exile” and with songs as good as “Jerry’s Escape” they are set to earn loads of new fans with their groove and tight knit sound. You will definitely feel as if you are on some sort of crazy space adventure when you hear the potency of Nicolas’ guitar escaping out of the speaker, and it’s a song that you just want to keep going on and on.
There’s a short calming interlude called “There’s nothing but Disreputable people at…” next before the trio explode back into action with “La Malterie” which is about an intergalactic bar, where only the worst bandits go. It only adds more reasons for me liking this album, as the drums from Vincent drive the song to greater heights, and the speed around the two-minute mark is so wonderful to listen to. Like a conductor controlling his orchestra and building up to a crescendo of noise, it’s an epic song on all levels.
By the time you get to “Araski” which is the favourite alcohol served at La Malterie, you’ll need a bit of a lie down from exhaustion, but there’s no let up. The chords are ferocious, yet assertive, with no one instrument domineering the song, it flows so eloquently, and all my mind can think about is that I must hear these songs live. The unearthly sounds are reassuring yet somehow still scary whilst holding the narrative of the story.
They end with an assault on the dark side called “Storming the Dark” which is over 11 minutes long, and is a long winding saga of a song, perfectly encapsulating The Baptized and what they are all about. They have invited you along on this whirlwind of an adventure and through every twist and turn, you’ll discover something new in their music. No note is wasted, and the trio are both efficient and effective with their playing, the rhythms are fluid yet structured, but you sense that air of unpredictability lurks around every corner.
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