ÂGE ⱡ TOTAL kills, okay? If you’re looking for the next big thing, and we’re talking big as in MASSIVE sounding, then you need to check out ÂGE ⱡ TOTAL. Four tracks. Forty six minutes. February 5th. One minute it’s bliss, the next it’s blistering. So hop on board, yeah?
The merging of two unique artists at opposite ends of the sonic spectrum, ÂGE ⱡ TOTAL sees Greyfell and Endless Floods teaming up to form one gargantuan collective which creates an equally gargantuan sound. If you’re looking for an easy out as a descriptor then consider it as Four Stroke Baron slowed way down or Devin Townsend really owning that Ocean Machine sound. But that’s really where the comparisons end.
“Armure” opens this behemoth in the most grand way with over fourteen minutes of experimentation and ecstasy creating this sound that’s almost like a John Carpenter Sci-Fi score (Think Starman). Slowly adding textures…subtle guitar strums here, tempered drum pulses there….”Armure” continually builds before a resounding peak with everything turned all the way up and lead by a commanding voice washing over all like this purifying wave of cathartic sound, cleansing as it floods the senses. Then it devolves into this sort of twisted carnival ride as percussive fills create a sense of impending doom, like a cave in that you’re desperately trying to escape from.
And that’s just the first song.
You’d think that at about a quarter of its’ length, follow up track “Carre” wouldn’t be as huge as “Armure” but that’s where you’d be wrong for within this small package is another vast soundscape that’s filled with a cacophony of sounds, bells clanging in the distance, and a resounding hum. Next up, “Metal” is controlled fury that’s immense and intense, triumphantly marching along like a Titan towards the next city in the path of its’ destruction with this Doom-fueled dirge providing the perfect soundtrack.
As a former trombonist, it brings my heart joy to hear the instrument used in such a unique way, embedded within the discordant bevy of sounds that make up the fabric during the opening of “The Songbird”. Out of nowhere, the electrically-charged instruments attack acting like a musically-tinged jump-scare (This reviewer was so entranced by the opening salvo that they may or may not have actually jumped while listening) taking this sonic journey towards its’ inevitable end that’s just as crushing and complex at the conclusion as it was during the genesis.
ÂGE ⱡ TOTAL descends on us mere mortals this February the 5th through Soza/Collectif 5024. Pre-orders are live now and can be checked out by heading here. For the latest on ÂGE ⱡ TOTAL, follow them across their social media pages in their respective bands and head here for Greyfell and here for Endless Floods.