Pleymo
Rock

THE REVIEW

Pleymo is a French nu-metal band formed in 1997, not too long ago. The band was created with the intention of following in the footsteps of and "Frenchizing" (if I may say so) the nu-metal genre that exploded in those years with bands like Korn, Limp Bizkit, and Deftones.

The band consists of 6 members: Mark Maggiori on vocals, Frank Bailleul as DJ, Erik De Villoutreyes and Davy Portela on guitars, Benoit Julliard on bass, and Fred Ceraudo on drums. In October 2003, the band released its third album titled "Rock." Compared to previous works, "Rock" moves away from pure nu-metal to give room for more sophisticated guitars and more POP songs, avoiding in many cases the vocal outbursts of Mark that characterized previous albums.

The album starts with an intro titled "Le Voyage de Rock," then moves on to the track that gives the entire album its name, in my opinion, the worst song on the album. The song itself wouldn't be bad if it weren't for that chorus with the chant "Rock!Rock!rock!"... The next track is "1977", a pretty anonymous track in itself. It continues with "Divine Excuse", the first single from the album, a pop-rock song suitable for MTV. "L'insolent" brings us back to Pleymo as we left them with "Ep. 2 Medicine Cake." "L'Insolent" is the essence of nu-metal, featuring a massive DJ presence, heavy guitar, and a final vocal burst. "Moddadiction" and "Sommes-nous?" are other MTV tracks and for this reason, they never bore even after several listens (pros and cons. eh eh eh).

The eighth track "Zorro" is another example of how Pleymo has abandoned the canonical styles of nu-metal to lean towards a more commercial and catchy rock. Next is "Polyester mome", a harder track than the previous ones, always featuring the typical final vocal outburst... (always remembering that Maggiori's voice is remotely comparable to voices like those of Jonathan Davis and company). The 10th song is my favorite: "Une vie de Details"... guitars reminiscent of a mix between Deftones and Smashing Pumpkins, heavenly lyrics, and a "journey" melody.... A TRUE gem of the album.

The next four tracks continue alternating between the MTV style and a decent hard rock/hip hop. The track that closes the album is "On ne changera rien", another very catchy song worthy of many listens. Finally, there's the ghost track of "1977" in an acoustic version.

The album itself is not bad at all, it is quite catchy and features many pleasant points. Certainly not an album for refined tastes, but highly recommended for lovers of the (not) defunct nu-metal. (Commercial or non-commercial as it may be)

Rock'n roll.

Similar Bands: Limp Bizkit, Adema, Linea 77, Disturbed, P.O.D., Mellowtoy, Deftones.