Jerm La Haine strikes again, hitting 2017 with some his most biggest stylistic change to date. A truly unique assortment of crafted soundscapes and melodies, this feature packed album stands in stark contrast to his previous works, pushing his sonic pallet in a far more moody direction. Many of the songs are dominated by metallic and reverberant atmospheres which hover over the musical landscapes like a pale mist. Synths and drums attempt to whisper and punch their way through the dense ambiance, but the primary focus this collection of tracks seems to be focused predominantly on the lower frequencies and effects.
Possibly offsetting for previous fans who were looking for a standard drum and bass or industrial metal affairs, but certainly an interesting listen for anyone willing to push themselves through some musical experimentation and the tendency for tracks to take their time to atmospherically build themselves up, the album makes well use of it's diverse cast of featuring artists, with each individual offering their respective song it's own unique flavor, helping fuel the highly diverse sound of the album. One thing seems to tie all the vocalists together: an almost aetheric vocal quality to their effects, with much of them sounding as if they're truly escaping into our world from another dimension.
These tracks don't remain entirely bound to the smooth, with some of the tracks edging back into the drum and bass or industrial rhythms. The whole release comes across as progressive, and at times aggressive, despite the downtempo nature of much of the music. However, I'd consider harder elements to be focused more on the climatic sections of songs more so then the focus of the entire pieces, with a majority of the sonic content being pulsing and/or airy in nature.
Creating a very unique release, one that draws inspiration from many different styles and sounds, Jerm La Haine has managed to continue to push his musical boundries and evolve his sound. It's gonna be interesting to see what the future holds, as I see this album as opening up doorways for him to pretty much do anything with his sound. A great release, well worth the checkout. Find the album on his official Bandcamp: