Unexpect
In a Flesh Aquarium

THE REVIEW

Warning, this is a tough album, which not everyone will be able to appreciate.

To quote an often overused phrase, the line that separates genius from madness is thin, and throughout this album, experimentation is taken to the extreme. It moves along the borderline between music and cacophonic nonsense, which can make the first listens very challenging. I myself stopped at the third song the first time I listened, uncertain whether to continue... Therefore, it is not an easily digestible album, which only reveals its best after a few listens and requires a certain concentration on the pieces. However, it can consequently provide great satisfaction if one has the willingness and time to delve into it (and a very open mind musically speaking).

Released by "The End Records," "Unexpect" is an avant-garde extreme metal group from Montreal consisting of 7 members, and their music is a mix of various genres (in the CD, you can find traces of black metal, death metal, progressive metal, melodic heavy metal, classical music, opera, electro, ambient, gypsy music, jazz, noise, and circus music). Released in 2006, "In a Flesh Aquarium" is their second official CD. Their first album "Utopia" was independently released in 1999 and managed to achieve a good number of sales through word of mouth and the internet. But the first album, while already showing some potential, does not remotely reach the stylistic and compositional heights of this one, and the band's artistic maturity, having made a truly huge leap forward in terms of quality, is impressive.

The album consists of 10 tracks, each unique in its own way but also able to give a sense of homogeneity to the work, opening with "Chromatic Chimera," one of the most beautiful pieces of the album (which is actually a reworking of the eponymous piece from their 2003 EP "We invaders") that starts slowly with the sound of the piano, adding the violin, and then degenerating into an orgy of sounds/noises: the three(!) singers alternating in growls, screams, and normally sung parts, the drums keeping time in jazz-fusion style, and the keyboards adding a touch of classical sound. No time to catch your breath before the second track "Feasting Fools" starts, dragging us further down into the album's whirlpool of unhealthy madness, which could easily serve as the soundtrack to a nightmare.

Even on a technical level, the album proves to be truly impeccable, it is extraordinary how naturally the musicians manage to interact with each other and blend such different styles without it seeming forced.

In conclusion, this is an extremely original and courageous album, but it could be unpalatable for many, risking causing only a strong headache, but those who are fascinated by it will stick with it for quite a while!