The French prog rockers dial it down a bit, ending up with their best album yet in the process. Out on the 5th June on Sub Pop.
SLIFT formed a decade ago in Toulouse. They are brothers Jean (guitar, vocals, synthesisers) and Rémi Fossat (bass), and school friend Canek Flores (drums). They have been very much a cult interest over their previous three studio albums and two EPs. They are huge fantasy geeks and well versed in literature of that genre. Their name comes from a character in Alain Damasio’s French sci-fi novel La Zone du Dehors. Their live reputation is strong and has drawn big praise from Metal Hammer and Kerrang! amongst others. This new album is a triumph by embracing a more simple approach. Despite being French this album is sung in English.
Previous album Ilion was not without merit, but with eight science fiction influenced tracks ranging up to twelve and a half minutes there was less to draw casual listeners into their world. Fantasia clocks in at eight tracks, the shortest just under five minutes and the longest nearly nine minutes. Whilst that might seem bloated by many rock standards it Is a narrowing by theirs. It possesses an intensity and focus that delivers more than they have previously achieved. As a synthesiser twinkles and swirls half-way through opening track ‘Fantasia’ you do question if you are about to be subjected to a self-indulgent space-rock-opera, but it swiftly fades out and the second half of the track screams effort and ability. By the end it feels like Muse at their bombastic best. The second track, ‘Corrupted Sky,’ builds on it and takes it up several notches further. There is a particularly wild guitar solo.
The tracks have an area of crossover between them creating a very cohesive listen. ‘The Village’ caries an urgency to it. It builds and builds, it suggests a tale of fantasy about a village being visited by strangers and demons. However, if you really unpack the album it is more about the many issues of our wider world. – the place of religion, the plight of immigrants and corruption in politics. It uses touches of magic and fantasy to help frame it. ‘A Storm Of Wings’ carries on in the same vein, a tale of light and dark featuring a church and the Devil. The chugging guitar line opens it with real panache.
‘Orbis Tertius’ really highlights how deep they go with fantasy fiction. The Latin translates to “Third World” but it is specifically a reference to a short story by Argentinian Jorge Luis Borges called Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius. You don’t need to know about it to enjoy the track, but it just shows how much effort and thought goes into what they produce.
This is a high quality album but it took a few listens to really unpack it. There is an occasional clunking line from writing and singing in a secondary language, but overall there is a whole world to explore contained within. Slift give absolutely everything to what they produce and this album is no exception. This is quality heavy-rock from a band that has arrived at a place of confidence and maturity. You don’t get to be on the Sub Pop label without being very good at what you do. They know what they are about and they execute it well.
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