By Monk
This project has its roots in the vision of its founders, a Parisian duo who go simply by the names of Lionel and Nicolas, to change musical direction, albeit somewhat subtly, from the miens which they previously had explored, in forms of hardcore and blackened post-metal respectively, and diversify their collective and individual styles into something more, well, dreamgazey, ambient, post-metally (I told you it was a subtle transition).
Now, not being familiar with their previous projects, I obviously approached this debut release from their current incarnation from an entirely fresh perspective, and as a result had no preconceptions (apart from those obviously documented in the accompanying press release) about what to expect… and what I discovered was something which did indeed propound its origins, with elements of post-hardcore, black metal and noiserock permeating and poking through dense layers of ambient, prog-tinged gothicism in a way which provides an interesting, if slightly confusing, aural experience.
It is extremely difficult to categorize Cløudy Skies and the sound they produce. One moment you are listening to ambient soundscapes so laid back they are horizontal, the next crashing crescendos of black metal-infused chaos thrash and crash their way through densely gothic-noir retrospection. Are we listening to a BM version of The Mission or The Cure? Or a we experiencing Muse kicking down the door of a Nephilim rehearsal to jam out a few Depeche Mode riffs? To be honest, it’s hard to tell, which is the major problem with this cluttered and incohesive debut: it throws too many ingredients into the mixer and ultimately proves unfulfilling, with the sweetness of some ingredients clashing with the tartness of others.
Ultimately, ‘Changes’ suffers from too many themes being intermingled. Yes, it’s a curate’s egg, but the good parts unfortunately get lost in the overall, and over-complicated, recipe. A case of a musical soggy bottom?
- ‘Changes’ is released on Friday (20 January). You can get your copy HERE.
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