Artist: Last Embrace, The
Label: Longfellow Deeds Records
Release: 2006
Runtime: 45:30
Rating: 3/5
The Last Embrace are a French band that’s been around since 1998, but it wasn’t until 2006 that they managed to put out their studio debut, “Inside”. There’s no denying the metal element in the riffing, but in the production it’s still subordinate to the strong presence of the keyboards, which the band uses to loosen up the structure of its arrangements. They often work in “softer” transitional sections, building atmosphere through a dialogue between keyboards and guitar that insist on an organic sound (acoustic arrangements). These shifts between the faster (punchier) parts and the calmer ones are constantly present on the album, so it swings back and forth in dynamics and mood. Yep. It’s a progressive thing.
The band doesn’t hide its talent. The female vocals of singer Sandy are especially interesting and highly likable. She’s flexible in adapting to whatever the moment calls for, whenever a particular feeling needs to be brought out. Her natural vocal color and her approach never come across as annoying or pushy, and we can even say her voice is one of the album’s most attractive points.
The occasional escapes into acoustic territory are welcome, even if they don’t offer anything revolutionary. They’ve got bits of neo-classical music built into them, and we don’t escape experimental solutions either, which bring such moments closer to elements of jazz. Neither the keyboards nor the guitar stay stuck in one dimension. Before long, extra sonic collages join the basic motif (synth lines, additional guitar patterns and ornaments), thickening the overall picture of the album’s sound. That’s very welcome, since it develops and deepens the unpredictable and appealing side, which is supposed to be the product of the band’s imagination and bold exploration.
This contrast between the distorted and the acoustic (naturally sounding) approach is no longer a new invention. It’s an expected move, one the band occasionally uses to successfully revive a feeling of dreamy wandering that makes you loosen your grip on conscious logic while listening. Of course, it doesn’t go to extremes where you could talk about post-rock while listening to “Inside”, but since we’re on the subject, the longer repetitive intro weaving of guitar and keyboards in the track Eclipse doesn’t hide a nod to that genre. This instrumental track is a really nice pick for the album, since it boosts the dynamics of its mood swings.
On the title track, the band reaches its highest level of tolerance in letting the trio of “vocals – guitar – keyboards” coexist , which also brings the highest form of tight functioning, as the band dresses the impeccably fragile female vocal in an accompaniment of naturally placed keyboard and guitar collages in dialogue.
We can say the calm, naturally sounding passages are far more interesting than the generically assembled riffs of the distorted wailing. You can really feel that the band is still looking for the right direction, since it struggles to distill a definition of tightly shaped lead motifs. That means “Inside” is an album that creeps slowly under your skin and will appeal to the more demanding consumers of the progressive approach in rock and metal. Still, the album’s excessive repetition in trying out certain motif solutions jabs at the ear against your will, making the songs seem way too similar to each other and giving the album a backfiring effect of stiffness and one-dimensionality. That’s why “Inside” also fails to leave a particular impression. Even after repeated listens. The style the band is developing doesn’t bring a revolution, and neither does the production of the sound, where in the cranked-up moments of the record the riff buzz struggles to take a dominant position, if it manages at all. With the look of this debut, the band has opened up a few starting points it can use in the future to pick up a range of useful (usable) directions for strengthening its sonic and stylistic definition.
Going forward, it’ll be useful to keep the contrast of occasional sophisticated sonic escapes that’s laid out on “Inside”, while at the same time it’s essential to give the lead motifs more prominence, so they hook firmly into the listener’s ear and bring the band expressive coherence, and consequently an even more polished musical product. In other words, a pinch less experimentation and, on the other hand, more direct rock and metal punch. But there’s something there. Despite some already well-worn musical forms, “Inside” shows that The Last Embrace could grow into a band with a clearly pronounced authorial identity. We’ll see what the future holds for the band.
Lineup
Sandy – vocals
Coco – keyboards
Olivier – guitar
Laurent – guitar
Vik – bass guitar
Alexis – drums
Production
The Last Embrace & Stephan May
Track list
1. Introspection
2. Mother
3. Somewhere In The Dark Rain
4. Inside
5. Can You?
6. Broken
7. It Says
8. Eclipse
9. To Dispel Inner Fears
