Review: Igorrr – Amen
Madness. Utter, godless madness.
How do you measure extremity in metal music? Well, that’s rhetorical because you really can’t. Ever since ’80s metal music expanded beyond the groundwork set by Black Sabbath and others, be it by cranking the speed, slowing further down, stripping back, or mixing and matching, the list truly goes on and on. But one of the more bizarre examples of how malleable metal music can be is French project Igorrr. The brainchild of Gautier Serre and a revolving cast of characters, their music truly exists in its own realm. Serre with the Igorrr moniker primarily mixes extreme metal with breakcore music, and while the music is obviously much more expansive than that, that’s the primary foundation of the sound. And so, after a half decade, Igorrr now unleashes a new record simply titled Amen.
One thing I will admit from the get-go is that while I’ve been familiar with Igorrr since they started making waves with their 2017 record, Savage Sinusoid, this is a project that I personally couldn’t get into, and the main reason why is because a) I’m not a fan of breakcore music, and b) Igorrr’s music is too overwhelming. That latter one is by far my biggest gripe, because in preparation for this review I checked the aforementioned Savage Sinusoid, as well as their 2020 album Spirituality and Distortion, and while I wouldn’t call this music repetitive or monotonous, it is still a maddening abuse of the senses. I kind of respect how Serre manages to make music that’s as abrasive as it is so utterly off the beaten path. Serre is also an excellent producer, arranger and engineer.
This record’s biggest strength which has been present in Igorrr since 2017 is Serre’s production. Despite being rooted in electronic music and with several sections of songs, or a full song being purely electronic, the moments you hear guitars, basses, percussion and baroque instrumentation (yes, really) it sounds weirdly organic. They don’t sound programmed—for the most part—and due to how well everything is mixed and arranged, every instrument is very impactful while still individually and collectively having a place, especially when the music does slow down and goes into trip hop or ambient sections. Overall this is a very impressive record, but again, this is just not for me. As stated earlier, I find this music just a tad too overwrought for my tastes, particularly the wild and drastic swerves the music takes, how abruptly the guitars morph into blaring synths or a full orchestra or operatic singing, courtesy of Marthe Alexandre. Again, I respect and truly appreciate Serre’s artistry and production prowess, but I just can’t connect to the music, at least, not in the context of an LP. I feel like Serre’s music would perfectly fit in a videogame or movie, which is also an aspect I like, the cinematic quality.
Suffice to say I am a bit conflicted over this record; I do feel like I respect it more than I like it but I really can’t elaborate beyond this just not being for me. I’m sure longtime fans of Igorrr or breakcore enthusiasts will get more enjoyment out of it.
2.5/5 Flaming Toilets ov Hell
Amen releases September 19 through Metal Blade Records.
