Band: XCIII
Country: France
Title: Transiense
Label: Anesthetize Productions
Year: 2018
Style: 

Review:
XCIII is 93 in Roman numerals. It's a reference to (French poet) Charles Baudelaire's "Les Fleurs du Mal", poem 93, titled "A une passante". I thought this is important to mention about the French band (one-man-band that is) that started in 2009 as an apparently Progressive Atmospheric Metal outfit and which presents us here their fourth full-length album, one that's far from the Metal scene, yet it kept some references and patterns and it definitely kept the Dark Atmospheric part on these 6 new tracks (45 minutes of playing time). The atmosphere here, starting from the cover art, and the images featured in the booklet, the somehow chaotic lyrics and ending with the music itself, they all painted an image of somebody (in this case a girl) wondering the streets of a major city under the influence of some heavy drugs, mixing the flashy lights of the city with the darkness of her thoughts (this can also apply to a he). At times the music reminds me a bit of Pensees Nocturnes, sometimes of Netra, both from France, but most of the times XCIII is a mix of extremely different genres like Alternative, Post Punk, Dark Wave, Trip Hop, Jazz, Indie Rock and even Black Metal, it's all so diverse and wide (and continuously expansive) that I couldn't ever pinpoint it to a certain genre. It's a music that works well in a dusty caffee in the suburbs, as well in a snob bar in the downtown, and as well in a steampunk environment. Very interesting album, for open-minded fans.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: -/10

Contact:
facebook.com/xciiispleen
facebook.com/AssociationAnesthetize