Përl
Les maîtres du silence

French trio Përl returns with a new album, it looks more exciting than the previous if you only judge it by its cover. I like the cover art; it sure looks interesting. I don’t remember the previous album as one of the more interesting I have heard, there were good touches but the whole was not that exciting. So, will this new one be a step up for them?

Musically it is the same style as the previous with aggressive post-metal combined with strong melodies, female vocals and so on. Perhaps more on substance than atmosphere compared with the previous album, the production is also better. The album is pretty varied, the vocals with lyrics in French gives the album a slightly different touch just because of that – more bands should sing in other languages than English. The album has decent variation and depth, the playing time is sensible. It is a good production, a good performance, pretty fresh sound, I think Përl takes a step forward compared with the album I reviewed some years ago.

It is a good album, better than the previous and an overall good album. However, it is not a standout release, and the lack of really memorable tracks or passages makes it one that is probably pretty fast forgotten despite many strong elements. You need to do more than this to make a big impact in the world of music these days, but that is not saying that this album is bad or even worth overlooking without giving a shot. I think it is fine with good dynamic sound and strong melodies, there is decent depth as well as good vocals – so, there are things to like here.

It is certainly worth a shot if you like the similar bands or bands similar to those, if you do there is probably a good likelihood that you will find this album quite appealing with its strong atmospheres and good songs. I am slightly ambivalent as I like it and find it fine on the one hand, but on the other hand it is hard to see that this will make much of a mark and be something that I remember much down the line. Përl does a decent album here, but I think they need to do more if they really want to make a mark. They should have the potential to do that, this album reveals an interesting band that is slowly starting to gain momentum in their craft.

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