LE TEMPS DU LOUP // ENTHRALLER - LTD. DARK GREY MARBLE VINYL
RELEASE DATE: August 19, 2022.
Since we last heard from them on 2018’s Cardinal, Madrid’s Le Temps Du Loup have embarked on a journey of sonic discovery, not only building upon the template that made that LP so potent, but also expanding with the possibilities inherent in a broadened canvas. Their newest offering Enthraller is a continuation of established themes such as the breakdown of society and a forewarning of the potential for darkness that could emerge from such pathways. But even more importantly, it stands as a striking experiment that sees them re-imagining their sound in varying contexts, offering listeners the opportunity to look deeper into their songwriting and see glimpses of what’s to come from these adventurous, compelling artists.
Opening track “Unto Marathon” is the EP’s shortest track, but it manifests as more than just a simple intro, surveying Le Temps Du Loup’s softer side, exhibiting synth as an integral additional layer, and showing their ability to navigate a drum-less track – an idea that comes into play much more considerably as the record moves into its B side. “Vertu” immediately punches through the final moments of “Unto Marathon” with muscular drumming, but then settles into what may be the band’s most melodic moments as they move calmly along through a three-minute stretch of quintessential mid-tempo post-rock. Even the moments when the volume is turned up have a wonderfully sweeping, alluring alt-metal vibe that is reminiscent of what it might sound like if Failure was covering a Pelican song. Of course, it’s not all presented with a subdued sensibility, as “Vertu” eventually sees the band returning to their chugging post-metal roots to mount the track’s rousing finale. The ten-and-half minute Side A closer “Sic semper tyrannis” covers most of the ground Le Temps Du Loup have trekked to this point: moody, methodical post-rock, towering post-metal, and alt-rock that lands somewhere between dreamy and destructive. It would serve as a thoroughly satisfying close to the EP, but the band has other ideas, which brings us to what might be the most intriguing feature of the record.
TRACKLISTING:
A1. Unto Marathon
A2. Vertu
A3. Sic semper tyrannis
B1. Alt kommer til en slutt (Enthraller Redux)