Bisbaye - 2021 - Le Sens De La Fin (The Sense Of An Ending)

(42:10; Cuneiform Records)

This is the third album from Canadian band Bisbâyé, who have now signed to Cuneiform Records having released two EPs and the two albums independently. The band was formed by guitarist Jean-Pierre Larouche and drummer Hugo Veilleux, back in 2001, since when Larouche (who is also the main composer) has been working on combining mathcore, djent and progressive rock in a way that is both familiar yet very different indeed. Some of this is down to the band line-up, as the duo are joined in their quest by bassist Vincent Savary, guitarist Nathanaël Labrèche, and drummer Julien Daoust. Yes, here we have one of those rarities in modern music, as not only are they an instrumental act but utilize two drummers throughout their performance. Imagine King Crimson joining forces with Meshuggah, throwing in some Voivod and one may just be able to imagine what is going on in the headphones. This is an album which really benefits from being played in sonic isolation as one drummer is in the left and the other on the right, and this clearly allows the listener to understand what each is bringing to the party and how they react to each other.

It is massively complex, as well as being incredibly heavy, and one is never sure what is going to happen next, as while the guitarists can be incredibly staccato and syncopated, relying on the bass to create melody and warmth while they provide aggression, they can also be straight djent and driving hard into mathcore. This is not music for the fainthearted, as it is metallic and progressive while never really fitting into the prog metal scene as many people think of it. There are also elements of free jazz at times, making this something which does need working with, but the result is richly rewarding.

This is certainly one of the heaviest, if not the heaviest, album I have come across from Cuneiform in all the years I have been writing about them, and yet again they have delivered something which is not only interesting but quite unlike anything else around. For those who are a little more adventurous in their outlook.

Kev Rowland, November 2021

Links:
https://www.facebook.com/bisbaye/
http://www.cuneiformrecords.com/