GRORR
Ddulden’s Last Flight
VICISOLUM PRODUCTIONS
French tech metal adventurers plot a musical world tour
Incorporating folk and world music into metal can seem gimmicky when not done with full appreciation of the source material. Credit, then, to French collective Grorr, whose third album navigates a planet’s worth of traditional instruments and obscure sounds. The throat singing that summons multiinstrumentalist Sylvain Kansara’s literal bells and whistles approach on Sirens Call really does transport you to fantastical lands. vocalist Franck Michel’s deep gothic croon and Blackened Rain’s fusion of syncopated djent riffing with Eastern string motifs and assorted wind instruments further sets them apart from the tech metal pack. It’s such a wildly inventive and well-executed approach that the strings and synths of Newborn Whirlwind sound pedestrian by comparison.