Eths | ‘III’

It was only a matter of time before someone figured out that the best way to sell a djent album was to put some tits on the front, even if they’re ugly.

So here we have Eths from France, who play a mix of modern rhythmic djent, Arch Enemy rallying call, Madder Mortem whimsy and all things in between. Looks like they used to sound something like Coal Chamber, so any notes to the above are a definite development.

Vocalist Candice has a wide range, that’s for sure. Her bark is decent, but more importantly her clean voice is honey-like, giving excellent contrast to her raspier elements.

She also has a decent cadence, which sits nicely (and sometimes arrestingly off kilter) on top of the riffs. Second track ‘Harmaguedon’ has the most Arch Enemy pulse to it, though it quickly diversifies into its own agenda.

It’s a frustrating album, given that even though so much of it is modern metal by numbers, it’s also clear that they’ve put their own mark on every track. ‘Sidus’ for example would be a total grooving stomper, except the band have to put all manner of modern trickery in there to dilute its impact.

Ironically the best track is the last. ‘Anatemnein’is weird, sprawling, and almost redolent of the best Therion or Oprhaned Land. It’s slow, lurching and quite magical with it’s odd vocal refrain. A real corker, this one, showing how some brains and musical intuition beat all the djenting in the world.

I’m not sure if I could wholeheartedly recommend the band, or indeed the album – but they’re certainly an interesting curio.

2.8 / 5 – Earl Grey ::: 19/02/12

This vid is from a previous album