I was a band kid for half of my school life, an accomplished clarinet player who sadly didn’t do much beyond high school. During this time, my appreciation for classical and baroque music grew. There isn’t anything quite like it, with the complex arrangements, various movements, and intense musical theory embedded into each piece. Classical music has certainly impacted heavy metal, perhaps most obviously with guitar solos and how they are built off scales and modes. Classical music and metal are a natural match, and yet more intentional melding does not happen all that often. Sure, there is neoclassical metal (think Yngwie), and of course bands like Trans SIberian Orchestra have popularized it for the masses with their nods to Beethoven, Bach, and Mozart, but most metal does little more than take influences at best. Metal bands with symphonic labels in theory incorporate these influences, but mostly they still feel to be in passing.

Then there is French symphonic death metal band Aephanemer, who I had listened to in small doses previously but honestly had never fully captured my attention. Their approach of mixing bold classical lines with extreme metal was one I found interesting, but I also found I had to be in the mood for it as it didn’t quite always resonate. I loved their creativity and approach and was curious to see how they would evolve.

This past Friday, Aephanemer released their brand new album, “Utopie,” and there is no “needing to be in the mood” for this album. I am absolutely obsessed with this album, and the band has truly hit their groove here, creating something unique and powerful that took me by surprise and has absolutely dominated my listening of late. The song composition here is just fabulous. Bach may not have known what death metal was, but if he did, I think he would try something along these lines.

You will not find traditional song structure here, but your ears will be tantalized with technical passages galore, beautiful melodies, and cinematic grandeur, all while having your brain pummeled with intense drumming and powerful extreme vocals. What impresses me the most is how cohesive the album is, with vast arrangements covering so much ground, and yet nothing feels overdone or out of place. This album brings me back to playing some of my favorite fugues or multi-movement opuses, but with a fresh and polished aggression that makes each song feel larger than life. Broad use of dynamic shifts and tempo changes add to the musicality, and each song has depth and textures that make them rich auditory experiences. This is nothing like traditional death metal, and you could argue this is just orchestral symphonic extreme metal. Regardless of the label used, this is amazing stuff.

The album starts with the theatrical orchestral instrumental intro “Échos d’un Monde Perdu,” which wouldn’t feel out of place opening a Tim Burton film. This leads directly into the first full track, “Le Cimetière Marin,” which treats your ears to an auditory feast of classically influenced guitar lead and orchestration over driving drums before vocalist Marion Bascoul enters with her incredible snarl. The song navigates a complex structure, with nice interplay between the more classically focused movements and the modern metal mechanics. I adore the musicality that Aephanemer utilizes, such as fabulous dynamic contrast in the crescendos and decrescendos between different sections. The a cappella part close to the end is unexpected but works so well, also adding to the overall theatrical feel. “La Règle du Jeu” has a memorable melody in its driving fugue-like guitar passages, and it gives you more death metal flavor with its generally faster pace, utilizing blastbeats and blazing drums as support for the complex guitar leads and keys.

“Par-delà le Mur des Siècles” makes me think I could be watching Beethoven or Bach directing a masterpiece while headbanging with its incredible intro. This song has a bit of a folksy black metal feel, reminding me of “Sagas” era Equilibirum, albeit with a more baroque bent. This song has so much of what I want symphonic black metal to be, with its intense multi-faceted parts, blazing guitar leads, epic orchestration, brutal blastbeats, and in your face vocals. But it is not black metal, even if parts of it are, leaning heavily on an underlying melodeath backbone melded with its classical overtones. The band again does an incredible job with dynamic contrast, use of various instruments, tempo and rhythmic variety, killer guitar and piano leads, and building an immersive atmosphere. This is easily a favorite song for me.

“Chimère” has a big cinematic feel, juxtaposing racing drums and guitars with theatrical slower emotional sections, bombastic orchestration, and incredible guitarwork. Bascoul shows some diversity in vocals, evoking emotion while also sheer brutality, all against a gorgeously composed technical musical backdrop. “Contrepoint” is another standout track, easily the album’s fastest and heaviest overall, a speedy metallic classical masterpiece that highlights the technical prowess of each musician. When it does slow down in the middle, the band makes you feel like you are listening inside a gothic castle at candlelight, giving you a breather before ripping your head off again, then finishing in stunningly gorgeous fashion.

The final 3 tracks of the album feel like a 3-part progressive baroque opus, dividing the album into 2 parts, with the first being the more “accessible” tracks, and the second being the thinking person’s bombastic auditory adventure (not unlike what Scardust did on their album “Souls”). Whether intentional or not, this is certainly how it comes across to me, and I absolutely love it! It begins with “La Rivière Souterraine,” an 8 minute plus instrumental masterpiece, only adding big chant-like choir vocals for massive effect. It gives me Elder Scrolls vibes, and I could imagine wandering around Skyrim with this as my theme.

The metal flows with several sections of blazing drums and speed riffing, and the guitar solos throughout are glorious. The melodies are beautiful, the dynamic contrast evokes all the feels, and wow that ending is utterly incredible. And now that your mind has been blown by the sheer musical beauty that Aephanemer can create, they bleed right into Part 1 of the title track with a bombastic cinematic intro. I imagine myself outside of a castle, with a dark forest all around, massive monuments and gravestones surrounding, as I am about to embark on an epic quest. And then just shy of the 3 minutes mark, they knock you over with an atmospheric metal assault, with amazing guitar lines, drumming, orchestration, and Bascoul’s powerful emotive snarls hitting you hard. They meander from here through a variety of rich textures and melodies, never afraid to punch you in the face or lull you into a dream state, ending in grandiose fashion. Part 1 is a satisfying ending, or so you think, until you are greeted by the even longer Part 2. It kicks off with a silky melodic reprisal from the intro track “Échos d’un Monde Perdu,” before diving straight into metal. The song is faster and heavier than Part 1, featuring more metallic leanings in the use of vocals, drums, and hefty guitars. The melodies still are very classical guitar lead forward, and they flow so naturally from one section to the next. The band does such a great job creating atmosphere and a massive feel, and this song feels larger than life as it progresses and unfolds. The dichotomy between the 2 parts is nice, not unlike what you would see across various movements in a classical symphony, featuring a variety of textures, cool transitions, and clever writing just begging for a live orchestra.

This is definitely one of the more unique albums I have listened to this year, and it very well may be one of the best metal albums of the year, unlocking more secrets upon repeated listens. Prog purists would never call this prog, but in the world of extreme metal, this is one of the more progressive albums I have heard in a long time, and in a very good way. Highly highly recommended!

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