France has just been churning out some top notch death metal bands lately, not the least of which is the up and coming new prog influenced death metal group Oestre. Their powerful sound brings in a variety of elements and even gives us a few touches of djent. (Is it wrong that I feel a little bit nostalgic for djent these days?) With strange and sometimes atonal solos, their new record La Derniere Renaissance breaks boundaries and busts skulls, the sort of death metal record that really gets what constitutes good death metal in 2014.
What I find really interesting about Oestre, is even in their proggiest and most abstract moments, like on the intro to the seventh track, Palbe (La Derniere Renaissance) they manage to maintain a sort of poignant hardcore stomp. It gives the band a certain humanity beyond the spiraling chord progressions and industrial breaks. See, Oestre, while they may be inspired by Meshuggah and their ilk, there is still something very human here, giving a taste of the pit, even in the most bizarre and hard to understand moments. This speaks to the magic of the band, that they can fuse these ideas and come out stronger, metallers who have seen it all and can do more.
Oestre are not a band to be taken lightly, and its hard to really grasp what they're on about at first listen. There are a lot of layers to unfold here and Oestre are not afraid to add in cleans when appropriate, making them sound like a totally different band. Yet they inject it all with their own unique flavor, showing that these guys won't be stopped by hell or high water. Instead they will simply reach out, rage, and hold their listener in thrall, victim to the almighty power of Oestres unique musical stylings. La Derniere Renaissance is one of the coolest French prog records I have heard all year, so come on in and enjoy the ride!
Find them on Facebook!
https://www.facebook.com/Oestrefr
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