Album Review: Bruit ≤ - The Age of Ephemerality
Reviewed by Matthew Williams
I cast my mind back to 2022’s Damnation Festival, and I remember hearing classical instrumentation mixed with loops, drums and guitars, as I was treated to a hypnotic performance from French post rockers BRUIT. They stunned the Eyesore Stage that afternoon, putting people into a trance like state, so when I saw their latest release, I had to grab it to see what dark, mysterious and mythical journey they’d created next.
Having interviewed them after their set, I found that they were interesting guys, who weren’t true metal heads, so mixed with their classical music training, were forging other paths into the metal scene. Playing with backing tracks via their talented drummer Julie Aoufi, they intrigued me with what they accomplished and opened my eyes to what sounds were incorporated into their music. With Clement Libes, you get bass, baritone guitars, violin and organ to name a few, with Luc Blanchot bringing the cello and programming and Theophile Antolinos adding guitars, banjo and soundscapes.
They have honed their skills further and produced “The Age of Ephemerality” their second full length album, which is a dramatic soundscape of sheer brilliance. As the band describe it themselves, it’s a “philosophical, poetic and political reflection on our fascination with technology” and the instrumental results are truly mind-blowing. The fact that these 5 songs were recorded in a 160-year-old church in the Pyrenees mountains, shows the juxtaposition of old and new that push the bands creative boundaries.
Opening track “Ephemeral” has that same intensity of 2021’s “The Machine is Burning…” with that classical element shining brightly against the wall of white noise, before the subtle, subdued ending makes you salivate as what is yet to emerge. And what unfolds next is a ping pong sounding track called “Data” driven by synthesised noises against a drum n bass background. This is where you start to really feel them working as one unit, the audible cacophony melting your overloaded brain, and you’re not even halfway through!!!! I remember them having difficulty with the click track at Damnation, hampering the start of their set, but when they get it right, it is a joyous moment and this harrowing song, with the haunting piano finish, has seen them up their game immeasurably.
“Progress Regress” is a slow, brooding track, that makes you sit down and think. It forces you to think about what music is, what you enjoy about it, and how much power that has over your emotions. The composition of classical instruments is both elegant and graceful yet still leaves you with a chill running down your spine. It powers to life midway through, with sounds hitting you from different directions but it feels as if it’s keeping you safe from harm as it envelops your body and soul.
“Techno-Slavery Vandalism” ups the song length to over 9 minutes, but you’ll never get bored of listening to this one. Once more, it’s slow in the build-up, classical music reverberating all around you, as they’ve created an alluring and striking tune. Imagine being guided to a sunlit utopia, then this would be the accompanying music to it. When the drums are pounded halfway through, the drama is unleashed in a dazzling display of sonic choreography. The tempo changes are exhilarating and take you on a journey that you don’t want to end.
Final track, “The Intoxication of Power” is one where you need to sit down and take in all its glory. They have melted classical strings and break beats into a fleeting harmony and have more layers than a Victoria sponge. They really are pushing boundaries beyond breaking point with their orchestral and technological arrangements, and this song is a thing of beauty that should be housed in The Louvre. They close the track with a quote from George Orwell’s “1984” saying “If you want to picture the future, imagine a boot stamping on the human face, forever. The moral is a simple one, don’t let it happen. It depends on you.”
Album of the Year? It’s going to take something very, very special to top this masterpiece.
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