Band:	Akroma
Album:	Seth
Style:	Progressive black metal, Symphonic black metal
Release date:	October 2009

01. L'eau Changée En Sang
02. Les Grenouilles
03. Les Moustiques
04. Les Taons
05. La Peste Du Bétail
06. Les Ulcères
07. La Grêle
08. Les Sauterelles
09. La Mort Des Premiers Nés
10. Les Ténèbres

Beware! This album is a love-it or hate-it affair.

Remember Dani Filth on Cradle Of Filth debut albums, with his high-pitched goblin screams? Either you loved it, or hated it, but there was no middle ground.
Well, it's the same here. Not that Alain "Bob" Germonville, the male vocalist, sounds like Dani. But his aggressive, really-high-pitch screams and screeches are of the same love-or-hate stuff. It's plain to see it was done purposefully, and used to great effect. Hey, we're talking about extreme metal here, right?

Music-wise, this album is build on a lot of contrasts. Contrast between the harsh vocals, and softer, mostly spoken, feminine ones. Contrast also between the melodic (even ambiant) music and the vocals. Or contrast between a harsh riff and the symphonic piece that follow just after.
Yes, this album is really a strange beast to describe. It's pretty weird, for sure! The songwriting is really fine in that regard. And the mood? It's quite dark, bewildering, sometimes even haunting? There's a feeling of unease that permeates this piece of music, something insidious and creepy indeed. There's also a bit of a theatrical feel, with the arrangements and in the way the vocals are declamés ("La Peste Du Bétail").

The guitar work is good, varied and builts the tension, while the keyboards and symphonic parts (finely chiselled in their dark way) set the tone of the music. However, I must say that most of the drumming sounds quite uninspired. Maybe that's why they're quite low in the mix. Also, a lot of guests, from bands as diverse as Nightmare, Anthropia, Outcast or Carcariass (among others), came to play some solos, bass lines, vocal or help a little along the way.

So, to conclude, Akroma's Seth is an acquired taste, but this doesn't belittle its qualities in any way. You will have to work your ears around this one (and this means more than one passing listen), for it to reveal its poisonous charm.
So? Curious?