REVIEW: Novelists FR - 'C'est La Vie'
When it comes to thinking of bands that are becoming the torch-bearers for effective and engaging releases, French band Novelists FR certainly comes to mind. Having already released two demiurgic albums that made waves in the progressive-metalcore genre, C’est La Vie is an album that’s punching a hole through genre walls to show this band has some staying power.
From the opening, “Somebody Else” surges onto the scene with leading-edge melodious guitar riffs that gradually dives into technically crisp, fast-paced drum work. Majestic vocals dance around terrific contentious screams, making this not only an impressive first track, but a standout hit on the album as a whole.
Other moments on C’est La Vie, such as “Modern Slave”, deliver an onslaught of assailing screams intermingling with the intrusive orchestrated chaos of belligerent drum prowess and inventive gut wrenching guitar riffs. Quite possibly the most energetic track on the record , it’s trip-the-light fantastic. A great halfway point into the album, nothing compares to “C’est La Vie”. A beautiful juxtaposition of heavy and poppy diapason, it shows that Novelists FR is more than capable of releasing a record that sways between the lines of heavy and organically infectious vocal and instrumental melodies.
Subsidiary junctures such as “Kings of Ignorance”, featuring Florent Salfati, is another track not to be missed as its contagious musicality is unlike anything else we have experienced thus far.
Overall this is a prolific release for this band. From start to finish we get so many unconventional sounds that make this an expansive and interesting release. If Novelists FR continues to deliver music on this S-grade level, many bands in this genre will have some competition on their hands.