- Elementary Revolt

9/06/2008

Ampools - puzzle

TRACKLIST

01. A sens unique
02. Derrière
03. Hier soir le rock'n'roll m'a sauvé la vie
04. L'avant et l'après
05. Convergence
06. Les mains sales
07. Dégoût exquis
08. Vers la fin

INFO

Sometimes you receive a mail from an unknown band with the question if you want to review their album. Rarer is the fact that it’s a French band with French lyrics, a biography in French and the only Ampools related stuff I can find on the internet is in the French language besides a small portion of English on their Myspace.

At school I didn’t succeed very well with French so this review is mostly about the music. The professional sound of Ampools can be categorized in the emorock direction but they combine it with hectic outbursts not unlike At The Drive-In, Refused or even some Botch parts. They succeed quite well because all the songs still have the natural flow and stuck in your head.

Point of discussion is vocalist Antoine Richard. His hysterical way of screaming is something you get used to because after two listener sessions it feels natural and definitely fits in Ampools’ songs so it was a wise decision to put him in front of the Alan Douches’mix.

A professional step for a French band: to go to Alan Douches and when you see the planned gigs on Myspace you know that we're dealing with a band that wants to make huge steps forward. That’s the reason I don’t understand why a press sheet in French language is sent to a foreign webzine. The lyrics and text in the booklet are also in French, a cocky decision but also a strange one if you want to go for European success.

The label asked for only four stars but due to the remarks above I only can go to three and a half.
Asice

LISTEN: Vers la fin

9/06/2008

eraser at 9:31 a. m.