Scarve
Irradiant

France is certainly recognized as a nation where music holds a certain weight not just for the people, but for the state in general. However, in my opinion, we truly know very little about the French music scene, and that's a shame. I was even more astonished when I discovered, while reading reviews online, that the album I'm discussing is produced by a French band. I could imagine that music genres like jazz, pop, and folk could be of excellent French quality, but never would I have imagined discovering a band that plays melodic death metal in this manner.


Irradiant is the first full-length album by Scarve, a rather extravagant 6-piece, indeed French, that finally reaches us with this masterpiece (March 2004). Let's first consider the lineup, which is in some ways original and innovative as it features two lead singers (Pierrick and Guillame), who alternate since one has a more distinctly death style and the other is, in some respects, more thrash (cleaner and more melodic). Then there are two guitarists (Sylvain/lead and Patrick/rhythm), a grand bassist (Loic), and that monster of a drummer named Dirk Verbeuren (now on tour with Soilwork as a replacement for the very talented Henry Ranta).

And it's indeed Dirk who is one of the strengths, along with the excellent guitar work, always very inspired with really well-done solos, and the balanced vocal lines that make this album a must-have. Verbeuren's work (who surely knows well drummers such as Richard Christy and Janne Saarenpaa, respectively drummers of Iced Earth and ex-The Crown) behind the drums is nothing short of fantastic; playing a lot with cymbal use and alternating more tightened rhythms with killer mid-tempos, this drummer accompanies every song, giving it that mood that never keeps you standing still and above all never bores you (also spectacular live, in the two live tracks of the limited edition of this album, one can notice how power and precision are by no means an illusion of the album alone indeed..).

The songs, as mentioned at the beginning, have a death stamp with melodic parts (if desired, they can be compared to a sort of mix of Soilwork and the latest The Crown) inserted here and there in a precise and intelligent manner. Some tracks are more intense and direct (Mirthless Perspective, An Emptier Void), others more complex and progressive (see the stunning final Boiling Calm and The Perfect Disaster). Noteworthy is the presence of two guest musicians of unquestionable value, such as Frederick Thordendal of Meshuggah in Asphinxiate (an excellent song at times reminiscent of the guest’s band) and Gustaf Jorde of Defleshed in Molten Scars (a super intense song of pure brutality lasting only 2.46 min). The lyrics mainly address philosophical themes in contact with practical and social themes, they are well-thought-out texts and very suitable for what the music conveys.

The production of this album is nothing short of perfect; the drum sounds are powerful, all the instruments can be clearly distinguished without having to crank up the bass or treble, and the choices of particular sounds are always more than spot-on. The artwork by Dennis Sibeijn is very beautiful, rather unique, and, if desired, unsettling, midway between naturalistic and cybernetic, and remarkable is the multimedia section with two videos and the group's biography present in the limited digipack version.

An album, in my opinion, to have and one that will surely be talked about a lot.