- Karma Skull
- Albums
- Nathalie Bellesso
- Wednesday, December 02nd, 2020
A breathtaking piece of heavy/nu metal! Remarkable demonstration of know-how.
Created in 2015, with Jean-Philippe on bass, Jérémie (Martyr G) on vocals, Jérémie (Big G) on drums and Laurent on guitar, the Cannes-based band, Karma Skull, released an album last May: The Devil's Wife. It was recorded, mixed and mastered in the studios of Blackfish records, by Jean-Philippe Promelle, the bassist of the band who is also part of the formation : Pandore Orchestra. Big G played in Korrigan, Philippe Casetti's rock opera, with Metral and Polo Gibson, while Laurent was at the origin of the thrash metal band: Agressor (formerly Kataclism) and collaborated with Criminal Insane.
A female voice, orientalized, rises, suave and enchanting, in the opening of Bagdad Bomb, quickly relayed by an instrumentation with a disturbing musicality, before delivering us, abruptly at 1'37, to the brutality of a ferocious orchestration without concessions like these blind bombs which fall on the innocent, surprised in their sleep. After an injunction "wake up your mind, the religion want to take control and become a bad way, they make believe all this bullshit and lie right now right now", at 3'16, several voices are superimposed: feminine and masculine, with sinister accents, accompanied by a gloomy music, symbolizing this tragic reality: "you are just a toy and your lives are shit! "At 3'40, a cry torn from the depths of Jeremiah's guts of nearly 10 seconds comes to end it and the orchestral storm resumes and throws us a devastating guitar solo, to end with a very sweet melody with the mandolin. Bagdad Bomb is a little nugget in which slackens and tensions follow one another, representing the succession of periods of calm and terror for the populations submitted to the barbarity of the air raids.
Some rare moments of appeasement for Equilibrium whose frantic pace is supported by the blistering blast beats of Big G on drums, assisted by a harsh and powerful bass line of Philippe, nervous riffs, breaks that make it a tormented and impressive opus.
Fanatic opens on a soaring tune, but very quickly pierced by a heavy thrash. Jeremie's high vocals are sometimes on the verge of breaking while his growl is never failing. At 4'25, a magnificent air guitar solo comes to seize us to literally transport us on this hymn to the music and to the happiness of playing: " my passion, will stop when I die ".
A brief electro introduction for Tortura which subjects us to its demented rhythm where rap, growl and clear vocals clash in turn and leads us on paranoid paths. The notes get carried away under Laurent's electrified fingers while the rhythm accelerates then slackens, before going back on a dissonant register, leaving us exsanguinated.
Little Bitch, more rock, is crossed by nice saturations and distortions on the guitar.
With Air Cocaine, the start is electric, supported by a powerful growl, then alternating with a clear vocal. A pause at 1'48 with whispered lyrics, as a warning of the danger that lurks "you are falling in the dark side"; in the background, we distinguish a cavernous rattle barely perceptible. Then the song starts again with force. At 3'00, the orchestration is exacerbated with a new break at 3'50 before a resumption on the wheels. This title proposes a balanced mix between effective heavy and haunting melody, like this witness, oscillating between despair and anger, powerless to save the castaway from the hell of drugs in which he remains stuck.
It's hard to remain indifferent when listening to these instrumentally dense compositions, most of which are longer than 5'00, with incredible vocal parts by Jérémie, a talent that he could certainly improve. This album invites us to open our minds, to no longer be blind, to finally be delivered from our addictions, from our toxic relationships, from the hold of fanatics and the powerful on our lives and to take back the control of our existences. The different musical sequences within each song are skillfully integrated to ensure a coherent whole. The 11 tracks give us a furious desire to move. The Devil's Wife is a breathtaking work of heavy/neu metal, deserving that one stops there to appreciate all the remarkable demonstration of know-how.
*** Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version) ***
Track list :
- Bagdad Bomb 6’24
- Equilibrium 5’15
- The Devil’s Wife 5’14
- Fanatic 6’54
- Tortura 4’39
- Little Bitch 4’39
- Welcome In My World 4’01
- PDF 5’07
- Wrong Decision (Doctor Gabon) 7’09
- Air Cocaïne 5’50
- Terminal 5’33
Article de Nathalie Bellesso
Author of the heroic fantasy trilogy " Les Véritables "
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