Label : Season of Mist/Savage Prod.
Review by Tony Cannella
From France, Kells formed in 2001 and had previously released two full-length albums, and now they return with their third, “Anachromie”. Kells’ music has been described as modern metal – I still have no idea what constitutes modern metal (is there an un-modern metal?). So, the question really is, are Kells any good? Why yes, yes they are.
Like on their previous two albums Kells’ songs are all sung in their native French, which does not detract from anything at all. I think it’s cool when bands sing in their native language; it shows what a global phenomenon metal music really is. With all due respect to the three remaining members of the band – they all turn in killer performances – the star of this band for me was the vocalist Virginie Goncalves. She’s got a style that is sorta like a cross between Amy Lee and Angela Gossow. She sings in a clear, soaring style and combines that with a more extreme growly technique, and her vocals are really fantastic all the way through. They are sweet one moment and then aggressive the next and she mixes it up nicely so that it doesn’t become boring, predictable or stale. “Anachromie” is loaded with some seriously heavy riffs that at times come very close to thrash metal territory, and they very rarely let up, this is just pure relentlessness. Songs like “Bleu”, “Se Taire”, “Cristal”, “Addictions” and the video track “Furytale” are all highlights and worthy of repeated listening, and just when you think you have things figured out, they throw in a song like “L’echo” which features dramatic vocals from Virginie and some cool orchestration. “Anachromie” features 15-songs and 52-minutes worth of some seriously intense and well crafted music and Kells are a band that leaves an indelible mark on the listener with their mixture of ferociousness and melody.
Rating – 90/100
Tracklist
- Bleu
- Se Taire
- Illusion D’une Aire
- L’heure Que Le Temps Va Figer
- L’asphalte
- Emmure’s
- Quelque Part
- Le Manege Dechante
- Cristal
- Addictions
- L’autre Rive
- Nuances
- L’echo
- Furytale
- On My Fate
Line Up
- Virginie Goncalves – Vocals
- Patrick Garcia – Lead Guitar
- Laurent Lesina – Bass
- Julien Nicolas – Drums