Band: Remembrance

Title: Silencing The Moments …

Label: Firedoom / Firebox Records

Distribution: LSP Music

Release date: 14/04/2008

Review: CD

Melancholic (Funeral) Doom / Death Metal is often a case of a duo. Not that often, however, yet not unusual either, is that it is all about a male and female part - think about, for example, the grandiose Australian formation Avrigus . Also Remembrance , hailing from Lille , France , consists of a man and a woman: Carline Van Roos (vocals, keyboards, drums, bass, music and lyrics) and Matthieu Sachs (guitars, vocals, music). And this is not the only link they have with Avrigus , I think. Also musically, Remembrance can be compared to that Australian duo. Anyway, Remembrance was formed in June 2004 and did record and release a demo-CD in early 2005, titled Among Lost Illusions . Based on this splendid effort, Total Rust Music did sign the French project for a one-album deal, which resulted in the release of the debut album, called Frail Visions (2005). In October last year, Remembrance was signed to Firedoom (also for one album, yet I hope there will be more to come!), and the result is called Silencing The Moments , which was recorded a few months earlier. This album, which lasts for almost fifty six minutes, goes mainly on in the vein of the debut. Opener Thief Of Light immediately shows what to expect: a mixture of melancholy, depression, cold and gloomy spheres, and heaviness. Strong and brutal Metal-parts differ with (semi-) acoustic ones, the tempo is ultra-slow, and the tracks are interspersed with floating and / or atmospheric keyboard lines. Matthieu 's grunts are very, very deep, which gives the whole a certain Funeral Doom-aspect, while Carline 's are powerful and somewhat flat, sore, what brings us to a more Gothic-oriented approach (yet this band can't be considered a Gothic-band, that's for sure!). The very varying songs do contain so many levels, which is another reason to mention the name Avrigus , and the pretty ‘rough' sound and sublime mix ( Walnut Groove Studio , done in August 2007) lift the quality up to a very high level. Please do not consider this French duo as a second Avrigus , because Remembrance certainly are not a clone of the latter! Therefore, this formation has too much ‘own' elements. Besides, they do sound more ‘Funeral Doom-ish' than their Australian colleagues. Yet if you do appreciate this Australian duo, then this release from France is highly recommended! Nice!

90/100

Ivan Tibos.