Seclusion

Seclusion is another of those releases where the word frustrating takes all its sense, one of those releases where a potential, a huge potential seems to be present, but systematically fails before reaching its full maturity. I sometimes wonder if I don’t prefer to be confronted with something clearly bad, as at least it can be dismissed without delay. Not to say this album at first didn’t look like it would belong to this last category. The terrible cover art even set aside these simple words, a gothic metal band from France, are usually enough to summon some random horrendous creature compared to which Within Temptation would almost look pretty. Granted, Penumbra is a weird beast for sure, but not one of those likely to inhabit your worst alcoholic nightmares – more like the kind of the one you don’t remember having taken home when you discover it lying at your side by the misty morning, and now it’s there you’ll have to cope with anyway.

I mean, it sometimes sounds like Therion, believe it or not. I’ll have to say it again, this oboe melody in the second track and the following operatic choir every inch SOUND LIKE FUCKIN’ THERION, and it’s not the only time. You can’t be wrong when copying the masters, and that’s actually as well as unfortunately what’s this band is doing best. Don’t get me wrong; even if everything else was disposable, what isn’t the case, the efforts done on vocal harmonies and voices as a whole would be enough to grant this album a respectable mark. Fully mastering a choir and not less than three lead singers isn’t an easy task though, and Penumbra lacked a tad of breath to properly achieve it. If the opera choirs are simply perfect, dark, deeply melodic and above all not a single bit fake-sounding, if the harsh singer works as their equally perfect counterpoint, it can only be noticed how much the clean vocals look weak in comparison. Indeed there are two lead clean vocalists, a guy and a girl, and I have yet to decide who’s the most intolerable. If I’d say the girl it would be because I’m not afraid to admit I’m naturally biased against this kind of brainless pop vocals, but frankly her crooning male sibling is hardly better, and when they keep on answering to each other like on the closing song it borders on ridicule. And though nothing can top the horrendous spoken part of Hope, let’s not talk about it, it’s just too stupid.

But if the vocals are obviously the main attraction of this album as well as the point most likely to divide the listeners, this doesn’t mean the music isn’t worth a few words. The accompaniment indeed appears quite rich and varied while never falling into mindless artificial orchestrations. Most songs begin with a gentle piano/orchestral section working more as a transition with the previous track before truly kicking on, and the fact Seclusion is overall a soft release shouldn’t make illusion. It’s metal, I mean with GUITARS, it had to be underlined knowing some of the abominations I evoked in the first paragraph. Granted, those are sometimes discrete, and the riffs aren’t precisely what I’d call total headbanging madness, but you can nonetheless stay assured they’ll sooner or later remember them to you. Besides for something completely different there’s this oboe I already mentioned which, far beyond a mere anecdote, contributes to the overall feel of mystery the whole release carries – it’s just a pity the band itself doesn’t seem aware of its whole potential.

In fact, everything seems like Penumbra just tried to cram anything they could think about into this album, the pinnacle being of course the bagpipes on the title track. Bagpipes aren’t exactly the most expected instrument on a gothic/dark/symphonic metal album and, indeed, it even sounds pretty good. However, it also soon becomes obvious there wasn’t any urgent need for bagpipes there either, it might even have sounded better without them, for instance by perhaps giving the melody to the oboe. In other words, this precise case sounds like little more than novelty for the sake of novelty, with little artistic gain. The guitars, the beautiful choirs, the growls and the alas far too underused oboe: everything is there, and this album never sounds better than when it focuses on these elements. The two lead clean vocalists are dispensable and so are the handful of flutes or bagpipes – abandon those to Subway to Sally, they know how to rightfully exploit them (sorry if it’s totally unrelated, but I just felt like adding this, y’know). There are still far too much keyboards, as they’re of far poorer quality than the guitars we’d love to hear the latter more often. A weak track like Conception speaks for itself as seriously, when does it begin to lift up? It’s when, after five minutes of asinine Within Temptation worship, you’re EVENTUALLY left with one minute and a half of true melodic metal with only the guitars, the harsh voice and the choirs. Overcrowded pictures are most of time far less pleasant to look at than more austere, straight-to-the-point masterpieces, and talent also consists in being able to stop at the right point.

That’s why I may stop here, and also because bitching too much would be dishonest. In spite of its weaknesses, in spite of the last tracks (after Crimson Tail, the true highlight of the album) being far less interesting and more in the vein of what is commonly pejoratively associated to symphonic metal, Penumbra still sums up to one of my most pleasant metal discoveries from this last couple of months. Of course it’s a gothic metal band from France but you know, you can’t choose your parents.

Highlights: Tragical Memories, Cursed Destiny, Crimson Tail

Wow.. I'm speechless. I can already tell this review will take hours to write (regardless of length) because I am struggling to find words to justify how great this album is. How are you supposed to find words to truly capture something this epic, melancholic, and downright overwhelming? Wow...

Well, here goes. This album, being a gothic metal album, has a similar sound to bands like Tristania. That is the closest comparison I can come up with, although it is disgustingly unjust, because they are so infinitely better for so many reasons. One, they are much more riff-based, which means they are much more metal. Two, their atmosphere is twenty times more effective. Three, their vocals FAR surpass Tristania. Four, the keyboards are put pretty far back in the production, just enough to make an impact, but not too much to drown anything out. Five, this album is perfect, Tristania are not.

Yep.. Penumbra's closest comparison is miles away.

Basically, when you hear a gothic metal album, you usually hear excessive use of female, almost pop-like vocals, you hear keyboards that are far too loud, you hear songs based on the keyboards, you hear violins and shitloads of strange 'wtf' instruments that don't really belong in metal, and you hear some otherwise uninspiring attempts at atmosphere.

When you hear this album, you hear incredible gothic riffs, instead of violins they use distorted guitars to play their leads, the keyboards are there, but the songs are not based on them, the vocals are downright fantastic, and everything about this album just works. Incredible songs backed by incredible atmosphere.

Let me tell you this album is so overwhelming I've backed out of reviewing it four times, just because I have felt my review is unjust. I hope I'm really portraying how effective this album is now..

Many goth albums have strange interludes that seem random and out of place, Penumbra has these too, except they work, they are convincing, and they are perfectly called for. They really use every member in every song, to their full extent and effect. Think Dream Theater like instrumental interludes, with emotion, and atmosphere, and instead of showing off, they just put you in a fucking trance that you will NOT escape from.

Just listen to the introduction, Tragical Memories. The opening guitar sucks you in, followed by male growls and finally clean female vocals. Note the riff in the background, that's right, the RIFF! Not the keyboards, not the violins, not the assorted fucked up instruments, but the RIFF! With keyboards set in the background, adding to the atmosphere. The song then turns into clean male vocals backed by acoustic guitar, which totally fits! Then there's a small break, then it explodes back into a beautiful riff and oh my fucking god!

That's one song. That one song had more effect on me than most albums do!

Anyways, I fear if I say any more (there is much more to be said, but I guess those who haven't heard it wouldn't understand) you will be discouraged. I urge you, pick this album up, it has an amazing atmosphere, amazing songwriting, amazing vocals, and I just can't describe the feeling it gives me whenever I put it on.

Most definately.. the best metal album I have ever heard in my life.