Colosse - 2022 - Origin

(41:06; M&O Music)






















Track list:
1. Bedazzled 5:03
2. Open 5:36
3. Coat of Arms 4:12
4. Boundaries 4:12
5. Left Behind 6:17
6. Playground 3:25
7. The Trap 3:06
8. Sane 4:39
9. The Z 4:36

Line-up:
Sébastien Barbara - vocals, guitars
Frédéric Doré - guitars, backing vocals
Alex Boyer - bass, backing vocals
Zacharie Mizzi - drums


French band Colosse was formed back in 2018 as the creative vehicle of composer and musician Sébastien Barbara. The band started to work on the creation of an initial album back in 2020, and in 2022 they were signed by French label M&O Music who released their debut album "Origin".

Music that exists on the borderland between hard rock and heavy metal is what we get on this production. All the songs come with a tight and vibrant sound to them, at least in the initial phases of the songs. Some with a more traditional hard rock style bass pumping drive to them, others with an edgier bass and guitar riff driven combination driving the songs onward. The band doesn't always stick to the regular conventions either, as a little bit of a punk style approach and execution sneak into some of the songs while others come with a bit of an alternative hard rock swagger to them. Some instances of a vibrant post-rock style overlay is also a very occasional feature.

All of the songs have a melodic orientation, and there is a bit of a focus here to stick to arrangements that have an appealing and compelling nature. In some instances the compositions will change character a bit along the way too, with a gentler interlude that may appear around the midways stage and a more careful, subtle concluding half where the vibrant and energetic displays are replaced with arrangements of a more sophisticated nature.

I get the feeling that the band is dedicated to making an effort to create the best possible sounding results here, with small details here and there that for me gives the impression of musicians venturing towards the limits of what they are able to pull off. The easiest of those to hear being vocalist Barbara that really is at the edge of his range on some occasions, with his voice being close to reaching the breaking point.

Colosse have made an album filled with high energy and vibrant but also melodic heavy metal with "Origin", where the music comes with a bit of a hard rock backbone and some nice alternative rock flavoring.  This is a production that should have a potentially broad reach among those with a shared passion for hard rock and heavy metal.

Olav M. Björnsen, February 2023

Links:
https://www.facebook.com/colosseband
https://www.m-o-music.com/

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