L’Esprit du Clan plays a style of music which is quite hard to place in a certain genre. At first glance I thought that I listened to a metalcore band, but the more I listened to the CD, I felt that I didn’t do L’Esprit du Clan enough justice to call them just a metalcore band. I heard quite a few melodic death influences in their music and even found some nu-metal influences in a few songs. In my opinion quite a nice combination of diverse genres, but of course everything depends on the way the genres are merged with each other and how the musicians play in general!

 

The album starts of a bit boring and generic. The metalcore-like riffing and drumming is something we heard a little too much lately and to be honest; I have heard it done better before. These songs are no competition in comparison to songs of the latter Unearth/All That Remains albums. The first three songs actually remind me a bit of Throwdown and Dead To Fall, but with a little less flair and aggression.

 

But from the song ‘Ailleurs’ on, you hear that the band is capable of much more than playing simple beat-down metalcore songs. In this song you can already hear the melodic death influences and Arch Enemy was a name that popped up in my head frequently. These influences keep coming back more often when the album proceeds towards the end. Gladly so, because in this moments the band is on its best! Therefore it’s too bad that the singer is a bit too one-dimensional. He doesn’t vary enough with his vocals. It’s too much the same growl over and over again.

 

Despite all my criticism I think that the album is still a tad above decent. I hear a lot of interesting things going on in the songs. The songs ‘Un Message De Paix’ (with the rapper Big Red), ‘J’ai Pas Les Mots’ (with some great melodies in the vein of Paradise Lost) and ‘1992’ show that the band can write excellent songs and that the band really shows promise for future releases. I am only afraid that the French language will be an obstacle for an international breakthrough. All in all a nice album, not groundbreaking, but also not a waste of money. They seem to be a sensation to see live, so when you can check them out in a nearby barnyard, club or wherever, please do, I don’t think you will be disappointed. [review by Damy]