Grenoble is a place that I have fond memories of, having lived there for a few months back in 2017. So it always piques my interest when I discover a new artist releasing music there. Alternative metal group Dystopie are one such band, having just released their second album Uprising.
Their mix of influences leads to an interesting take on alternative metal. The opening title track feels just as much Evanescence as it does The Birthday Massacre, becoming its own beast in the process. Frontwoman Emma’s vocal style certainly adds a gothic spin, aided by the heavy synths of Adrien, while the crunching guitars of lead songwriter Jeremy can be somewhat progressive-leaning at times – especially on the longer tracks like the operatic “Frozen Tears”. It feels both fresh and familiar at the same time, which is always a plus. A couple particular highlights for the fusion of styles Dystopie attempt to harness can be heard in the tracks “Storm of Dust” and the gothic-rock-turned-industrial-metal “Surrender”.
By the time we’ve reached the middle of Uprising, we’ve been given a pretty wide array of styles – the heavier approach of the title track and “Ascending”, the more dramatic “Frozen Tears” and the brooding “Otherside”. Yet despite the variety on show, Dystopie still manage to hold everything together. It doesn’t feel like a cobbled-together collection of ideas with no planning or flow, instead, everything seems to be fully thought through to be in the right place at the right time. One potential factor aiding this album’s consistency is the stellar, multi-layered vocals of Emma. While not exactly diverse in range, Emma’s vocal performance still has a natural fit to everything it’s paired with, a testament to the songwriting prowess of Dystopie. With all that said, the excellent atmosphere provided by Adrien is the glue that keeps everything together, turning the whole of Uprising into a listening experience that is best heard from start to finish.
Of course, no album is perfect. There will always be ways for an artist to improve or evolve their sound, and Dystopie are no exception on Uprising. While they have done well to create a distinctive sound, the slower tracks such as “Otherside” can tend to drag a little bit, and the mix can put Valentin’s bass too far into the background at times due to the prominence of the guitars and keys. While Kevin’s drumming is well executed, it also slips a bit too far out of the spotlight at times as everything fights for attention. It’s a common problem when a band has such a loaded sound, and shouldn’t be taken as a harsh criticism that needs fixing, as it takes time for bands to find the perfect balance between each element of the sound. There are still moments in Uprising where the rhythm section gets its chance to shine, especially in the closing track “The Awakening”, so it’s not a major problem.
Overall, you have an excellent work of alternative metal on Uprising with a bit of everything thrown in. Everything just seems to click, and it’s a shame that there aren’t more than 7 tracks on offer here. If album #3 can build on what Uprising has shown us, then I’ll be very keen to see where Dystopie are in a few years’ time, because there is a lot more to come from them.
Steam and purchase Uprising below.
Their mix of influences leads to an interesting take on alternative metal. The opening title track feels just as much Evanescence as it does The Birthday Massacre, becoming its own beast in the process. Frontwoman Emma’s vocal style certainly adds a gothic spin, aided by the heavy synths of Adrien, while the crunching guitars of lead songwriter Jeremy can be somewhat progressive-leaning at times – especially on the longer tracks like the operatic “Frozen Tears”. It feels both fresh and familiar at the same time, which is always a plus. A couple particular highlights for the fusion of styles Dystopie attempt to harness can be heard in the tracks “Storm of Dust” and the gothic-rock-turned-industrial-metal “Surrender”.
By the time we’ve reached the middle of Uprising, we’ve been given a pretty wide array of styles – the heavier approach of the title track and “Ascending”, the more dramatic “Frozen Tears” and the brooding “Otherside”. Yet despite the variety on show, Dystopie still manage to hold everything together. It doesn’t feel like a cobbled-together collection of ideas with no planning or flow, instead, everything seems to be fully thought through to be in the right place at the right time. One potential factor aiding this album’s consistency is the stellar, multi-layered vocals of Emma. While not exactly diverse in range, Emma’s vocal performance still has a natural fit to everything it’s paired with, a testament to the songwriting prowess of Dystopie. With all that said, the excellent atmosphere provided by Adrien is the glue that keeps everything together, turning the whole of Uprising into a listening experience that is best heard from start to finish.
Of course, no album is perfect. There will always be ways for an artist to improve or evolve their sound, and Dystopie are no exception on Uprising. While they have done well to create a distinctive sound, the slower tracks such as “Otherside” can tend to drag a little bit, and the mix can put Valentin’s bass too far into the background at times due to the prominence of the guitars and keys. While Kevin’s drumming is well executed, it also slips a bit too far out of the spotlight at times as everything fights for attention. It’s a common problem when a band has such a loaded sound, and shouldn’t be taken as a harsh criticism that needs fixing, as it takes time for bands to find the perfect balance between each element of the sound. There are still moments in Uprising where the rhythm section gets its chance to shine, especially in the closing track “The Awakening”, so it’s not a major problem.
Overall, you have an excellent work of alternative metal on Uprising with a bit of everything thrown in. Everything just seems to click, and it’s a shame that there aren’t more than 7 tracks on offer here. If album #3 can build on what Uprising has shown us, then I’ll be very keen to see where Dystopie are in a few years’ time, because there is a lot more to come from them.
Steam and purchase Uprising below.
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