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Bisbâyé — Le Sens de le Fin
(Cuneiform Rune 474, 2021, CD / DL)

by Peter Thelen, Published 2021-04-28

Le Sens de le Fin Cover art

This Quebec based five-piece (pronounce it ‘bees-bo-yay’) has been out there making records for a good twenty years, but until they were signed to Cuneiform for their latest release Le Sens De La Fin, I suspect few but locals knew of the band’s four previous releases (two 30+ minute EPs and two full length releases), but that’s alright, with most artists, the latest release is usually the best starting point anyway, then one can go exploring in reverse after the latest one is digested. The seven instrumental tracks herein represent a complex math rock of the highest order, some might even say math-metal, and at least for the first three cuts that would be pretty much right on target, with the brutal pummeling easing up somewhat in the latter half of the disc. Somewhat. And needless to say, this is a bit out of character for Cuneiform as well, there’s not a shred of jazz anywhere here, but there is a lot of shredding, and blistering compositional complexity. Most of the compositions come from guitarist and founder Jean-Pierre Larouche, who started the band back in 2001 along with drummer Hugo Veilleux. For their first ten years or so there were a lot of personnel changes, but they eventually settled on a two-guitar two-drum kit approach (second guitarist Nathanaël Labrèche and second drummer Julien Daoust) along with bassist Vincent Savary round out the group. The double drumming tends to be quite aggressive, and one might do well to employ a good set of headphones to catch all of the rhythmic nuances and complexities that the band has on offer. The two guitarists can create quite a din as well, as one listen to the opener “Créosote” will evince, five players are firing on all ten cylinders. The title track comes next, with the two guitarists offering what could best be described as melodic madness, while the rhythm section pretty much crushes the listener. The Interestingly titled “Le Bienfait Devient Fléau / Virtue Becomes Plague” may be the most succinct track at just over five minutes, but it’s also the heaviest, slowing the pace down a little while the walls come crashing in. Closer “Caustique” written by bassist Savary is nothing short of full-on brutal, though that said, it does have a certain charm, slowing down in the mid-section for some snarly guitar thrashing. As instrumental math-rock goes, Le Sens De La Fin is about as intense as it gets.

Filed under: New releases, 2021 releases

Related artist(s): Bisbâyé

More info
http://cuneiformrecords.bandcamp.com/album/le-sens-de-la-fin-the-sense-of-an-ending

 

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