CORVIUS: Signals (MELODIC METAL): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

2306, the Earth has virtually no exploitable resources left, and it's at this point that mankind is on the verge of unraveling the greatest mystery of all time: the potential location of signals from unknown beings across the universe. That's when the Corvius unit steps in to join a colony ship called Antares... This is not the pitch for Christopher Nolan's next film, but the concept for the "Signals" album.

Chris and Ame (guitarists) are at the helm of this spaceship, fueled by muscular, immersive symphonic metal. The duo use synthesizers to set the futuristic mood that accompanies the listener on their journey. At take-off, 'Dr Baldlimb' slams the listener into the seat with a schizophrenic track that alternates between Arch Enemy-like passages and movements reminiscent of Within Temptation. Nephty's alternating guttural and clear vocals impress. As the tracks unfold, the cinematic aspect of the album becomes increasingly apparent, sometimes approaching that of Devin Townsend's famous "Ziltoïd" ('Beaneath Humanity'), with its little grain of madness mixing instrumental heaviness with a certain lightness in the exaggeration of certain characters.

The vocal lines alternate lyrical passages, gentleness ('Light And Shade') and aggression, all of which fit in well with the samples that undeniably aid the imagination around this "Signals", which is only the first step in a story that will comprise several chapters. We can already feel a fine mastery from a narrative point of view, where everything seems balanced between the modern aspect (space) and the organic instruments, among which the guitars still bring a sense of humanity in this cosmos that seems to have no limits ('The Discovery'). It's as if Corvius wanted to absorb all the styles that gravitate around metal (black, death and even progressive).

"Signals" is a very well thought-out, written and performed debut album. With a more ample production, it would have gained in density, but there's no doubt that thanks to the success of this first stone in a larger edifice, the shot will be rectified for the sequel. We can only salute the audacity of this modern symphonic metal, which breaks away from the clichés of the genre to become a sort of "The Astonishing" à la française. - Official website

CORVIUS

SIGNALS

AUTRE LABEL

MELODIC METAL