There's a saying...you wait ages for a bus and two come along at once...and while I could quite easily go into a rant about the inefficiency of public transportation (one of my favorite "hobbies" is standing in the cold waiting for buses I swear) we're not here to slander Stagecoach...we are however here to talk about bands. If you remember I recently covered a band by the name of TALVIENKELI, from Lyon in France...scratching the surface of a generally untapped music scene...well if you'd travel with me about 290 miles north to Paris we'll discover even more French fancies. Let me introduce you to FRCTRD. Pronounced Fractured, this modern deathcore five-piece have only recently released their debut self-titled "Fractured" EP via WE ARE TRIUMPHANT records but have already stirred up plenty of interest in la Ville Lumière...Allons!
We open up with "Act. Zero" and it's not a total shock to find an introductory instrumental track...it's a pretty by-numbers approach these days when it comes to most EP's, usually intended as an almost cinematic listening experience; to draw you in as you ponder what lays beyond, what is a shock however is that this one doesn't make you roll your eyes and think "Oh another intro"...it's chilling electronica filtered under a sheer onslaught of blunt-force metal riff-work, before going all Norman Bates on your ass with some shower-curtain piercing notes towards the tracks climax...consider my interest peaked...
First track proper; "Negative" is initially full-on metalcore....the break downs are properly heavy while the death metal vocals of one Vincent Hanulak are utterly ferocious...like a feral animal his squeals are almost torturous through the track...the combination of this viciousness and the touches of more electronica finds FRCTRD somewhere between the likes of MESHUGGAH and THE ALGORITHM. The following track "Crow" was written in response to the terrorist attacks at the Bataclan club which devastated not only the French capital but the rest of Europe too, a bludgeoning track with a message of solidarity, to not fear and it's a powerful piece of music. Elsewhere "Breathless" leaves you feeling exactly that, with it's driving, pummeling onslaught of riffs, before we finish up on "Cloud", and while they pull no punches, they utilize melodies that are genuinely emotional. FRCTRD may be new kids on the block in both their home country and in regards to any current musical scenes in general, but their clear relentless passion for this cannot be denied. Don't take their name literally, these lads have gotten their shit together and have an incredibly promising future in their respective genre. C'est lourd ... c'est une bonne merde [7]
Catch FRCTRD at TECHFEST, Newark Showground 6th-10th July 2017
We open up with "Act. Zero" and it's not a total shock to find an introductory instrumental track...it's a pretty by-numbers approach these days when it comes to most EP's, usually intended as an almost cinematic listening experience; to draw you in as you ponder what lays beyond, what is a shock however is that this one doesn't make you roll your eyes and think "Oh another intro"...it's chilling electronica filtered under a sheer onslaught of blunt-force metal riff-work, before going all Norman Bates on your ass with some shower-curtain piercing notes towards the tracks climax...consider my interest peaked...
First track proper; "Negative" is initially full-on metalcore....the break downs are properly heavy while the death metal vocals of one Vincent Hanulak are utterly ferocious...like a feral animal his squeals are almost torturous through the track...the combination of this viciousness and the touches of more electronica finds FRCTRD somewhere between the likes of MESHUGGAH and THE ALGORITHM. The following track "Crow" was written in response to the terrorist attacks at the Bataclan club which devastated not only the French capital but the rest of Europe too, a bludgeoning track with a message of solidarity, to not fear and it's a powerful piece of music. Elsewhere "Breathless" leaves you feeling exactly that, with it's driving, pummeling onslaught of riffs, before we finish up on "Cloud", and while they pull no punches, they utilize melodies that are genuinely emotional. FRCTRD may be new kids on the block in both their home country and in regards to any current musical scenes in general, but their clear relentless passion for this cannot be denied. Don't take their name literally, these lads have gotten their shit together and have an incredibly promising future in their respective genre. C'est lourd ... c'est une bonne merde [7]
Catch FRCTRD at TECHFEST, Newark Showground 6th-10th July 2017
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