Band:	Fange
Album:	Pudeur
Style:	Hardcore, Industrial metal, Sludge metal
Release date:	April 2020

01. Soleils Vaincus
02. Cafard Céleste
03. À Tombeaux Ouverts
04. Génuflexion
05. Croix De Paille
06. À Blanc
07. Dieux Gémissants
08. Total Serpent

France has been something of a lightning rod for dirty, (usually) sludge-infused hardcore metal for a good number of years now, particularly via the formidable Throatruiner Records. But if there's one of these bands that always seems to stick out as more potent, creative, and all around prolific than the others, it's definitely Fange.

Yes, this trio of Frenchmen has been particularly active lately. The Pourrissoir EP in 2017, quickly followed up by a new full length last year in Punir, and now another full length barely a year later in the form of Pudeur. Prior to Punir, Fange were particularly known for a hardcore, sludge type sound that, while it certainly had its more aggressive, punk-esque moments, seemed to always lean more toward the slow, barreling, rhythmic sludge approach than to hardcore. This began to change with Punir, which effectively went in the other direction, being more noisy, gritty, sludge-laced hardcore. With Pudeur, those "noisy" elements from Punir are now getting their knobs turned up considerably, making this new effort from Fange something of a sludgey, hardcore-oriented industrial metal album.

At first this new shift isn't something that's felt too heavily in the mix of Fange's composition, and the first couple of tracks seem to lean more toward the "sludgey hardcore" delivery employed previously on Punir. After the first two tracks and especially into its middle, Pudeur begins to reveal its true nature, however. A more pounding, mechanical sound takes over replete with electronic whooshing in the background and a more minimalist, industrialized approach, as on "À Tombeaux Ouverts" and "Dieux Gémissants." Or with a track like "Génuflexion," you may get a delivery that almost sounds like a more abrasive, pissed off take on the early Swans sound. Through it all there are still certainly traces of Fange's hardcore and sludge elements, as the composition still carries a noticeable shade of punk aesthetic and riff heavy sludge influence to it. With Pudeur it may ultimately be difficult to decide whether "sludgey industrial" or "industrial sludge" is a more fitting label, but personally I'm leaning more to the former because of the heavily mechanized, electronic feel a lot of the tracks here carry as their underlying foundation.

With Pudeur Fange really prove that they're currently being propelled by an almost unstoppable momentum, an energy that has made them a little more hyperactive on the composing and recording fronts and that has also resulted in them finding new ways to combine and present the various hardcore, sludge, and industrial influences that build their sound. It's pretty neat to consider that, between their 3 most recent releases (Pourrisoir, Punir, and now Pudeur), Fange have basically gone from sludge to hardcore to industrial in terms of which style dominates their songwriting. Personally I'm currently preferring this more industrialized sound of Pudeur to anything else Fange have yet done, as it seems to have a previously unrealized level of cathartic energy to it. While I'm somewhat hoping they stick with it, I have a feeling the band will only keep tinkering with their sound from here. Either way, Pudeur is a pretty damn enjoyable release that has made me quite excited for whatever Fange will cook up next.

"Ignorant music for the educated man."