Our
lives are characterized by a series of snapshot events. We are transient beings
that are comprised of a series of fleeting moments, far-fetched dreams, and
vast idealizations. In the cosmic scheme of things, we’re merely temporary
special specks that exit life as soon as we enter it. We, therefore, try to capture
and document each moment in a photograph in an attempt to create a visual
preservation of a memory and pass down its story to future generations. In a
sense, we actualize the adage “a picture is worth a thousand words” every time we
press the shutter button on a camera.
Sadly, photographs get lost, burned, thrown away, or faded beyond
recognition, thereby burying its associated memory and message in the
ever-erasing passage of time. With over 7 billion people on the planet, it’s
easy to become a forgotten memory or a faded photograph, lost in the sands of
time. But, a few images are so powerful that they stand as an ever-lasting
tribute, and The Prestige has risen to this stature. Their sophomore release, Amer, casts a vibrant image that will
outlast the turning of time with every searing riff and bitter verse.
Kicking
off the album is the title track, “Amer”, a dark, eerie track that will
instantly grip your ears and send chills down your spine. Blistering, eerie
riffs that seethe bitterness greet your ears as rising industrial-esque instrumental
effects rumble forth and plunder your ears with the might of a hellish stampede
before flourishing into a ravaging intertwined display of headbang-inducing
punctuality and hair-raising riffage. Drummer Thibaut Cavelier lightly wraps
pounding, intense percussive elements around the swirling storm of
instrumentation as vocalist Alex Diaz’s raw screams tear at your ears with a
bitter, melancholic urgency. The clustering storm of skin-shredding
instrumentation dissipates into the familiar eerie introductory riff before
carrying over into the next aurally seductive track, “Bête Noire.” Menacing
riffs, harsh screams, and driving percussion descend upon your ears like
vultures to a carcass as they viciously tear at your ears. Guitarists Alex and
Raphael’s excellent display of skin-shredding, heavy riffage is fast met by
spastic squeals and haunting melodic overlays that soar and hover overtop the
torrent of face-melting instrumentation. Lurking beneath these high-flying
instrumentals is bassist Julien’s brooding bass riffs and licks that steadily
groove with a bitter, chilling tonality. Drummer Thibaut Cavelier wields a
powerful combination of excellent cymbal play, quick footwork, and fantastic
rolls and solos for an overall insanity-inducing percussive display that will
make you question the number of arms he truly has. Intermittent interludes in
the form of spastic, energetic arias and quick licks burst and bloom over
powerful, heavy riffs to give the track a chaotic depth to the already
unnerving, bone-tingling instrumentation and musicality as it gradually settles
and fades into an amalgamation of squealing instrumentals that, in turn, dissolve
into silence.
Although
every track on this album can be considered a stand-out track, “Léger De Main”
is absolutely deserving of an honorable mention. A deep, venomous riff
stealthily paces back and forth through your ears as infectious, echoed melodic
notes and overlays grow increasingly haunting with each suspenseful rise and
retreat. Alex opens with spine-chilling, sinister clean vocals that gradually
escalate to his raw style of bristling mid screams. The eerie instrumentals,
following parallel to Alex’s vocal display, also gradually rise, building in
intensity with every passing second. Raphael and Alex’s haunting licks
eventually give way to anxiety-inducing dark riffs and Julien’s brooding
undertones which swiftly take command and steadily encroach on your ears like a
panther stalking its prey. Cavelier follows suit, gradually introducing light
percussive elements that steadily turn to ominous pounding that is sure to
incite heart-palpitations with each suspenseful kick and hit. The instrumentals
as a unit masterfully continue this seizing, heart-attack-inducing, suspenseful
aural stalking before suddenly launching a blazing attack of maddening pull-riffs,
grooving bass, driving percussion, and ear-splitting screams for a cumulatively
blood-curdling tonality that will destroy you as it rips your ears and your
sanity to shreds.
The
album closes with “Cri De Coeur”, a track that oozes bitter resentment in every
jarring piece of instrumentation. Sliding, enticing pull-riffs and bitter, raw
mid screams instantly hit your ears with the intensity of a passing freight
train. Pick slides and slightly discordant melodic overlays abound this track
and nip at your ears as they soar over Julien’s spiteful bass lines and
Cavelier’s aptly crafted, relentless percussion. Alex and Raphael frequently
break the flood of heavy riffage with a masterful blend of ambient, haunting
overlays, melodic arias, and flying sustained notes before melting back into the
emotive, bone-crunching instrumentals. Cavelier unleashes his technical prowess
in a series of mind-blowing drum rolls and solos that pierce your ears with the
ravaging intensity of bullets from a firing squad. A grooving interlude built
upon steadily rumbling bass lines and melodic, chilling arias, and eerie
backing “ah’s” echo behind Alex’s urgent mid screams comes to a grinding halt
for a haunting pairing of desperate screams and a faded piano medley that will
make your hair stand on end. This jarringly eerie, emotive instrumental break
sweeps back into one last wave of raging, ferociously bitter instrumentation,
thereby leaving you aurally ravaged and bereft of breath long after the music
has ceased to play.
Overall,
The Prestige has created one of the most timeless and intense hardcore albums
to date. The amount of musicianship and
energy that poured into each meticulously crafted track is absolutely
astounding and sets the bar at a new level that most other hardcore bands will
never quite reach. Every bitter riff and verse is not without purpose or
precision. Amer is more than an album
and more than a snapshot- it’s a story with an image that burns so vividly and
vibrantly that it takes on an everlasting form. If a picture is truly worth a
thousand words, The Prestige’s Amer is
the story of a lifetime.
10/10
For
Fans Of: Deafheaven, Every Time I Die, Touche Amore
Katt Hass
Katt Hass
