Friday 29th March 2024,
The Black Planet

ASSENT – We Are The New Black

Assent is an independent two piece progressive groove metal band from France, founded in 2015. The two members are Aurélien Fouet-Barak (Vocals, Bass, Drum Programming) and Grégoire Debord (Guitars), two longtime close friends who decided to join and create music together. The result is their debut work ”We Are The New Black”, an EP with six tracks released this year.

A symphonic intro, ”The Dust & The Screaming”, is the first thing the listener experiences when they press play. The dynamics between harsh vocals vs the clean vocals, fast riffs and fast drums with some melodies in the background that can be found in”We Are The New Black”, the title track, are the very definition of this project. After this you can hear ”Reaching  Out” and ”A Part of Me”, two songs that feel like a continuation of the title track. Then it comes ”Remain in Darkness” which is probably the most progressive song of the EP. Being a bit slower than the other tracks, this song have an acoustic part in the middle and ends with a fantastic solo, making it stand out the most. ”Insomnia”, a very groovy (or djenty if you like) track with metalcore elements, making it the perfect ending for this record.

Some of the details that make this record stand out, are the special guests it has. On the opening instrumental track, “The Dust & The Screaming” we can find the special touch of Elisabeth Muller on the violin, Caroline Berry on the viola and Raphael Verguin on the cello. “We Are The New Black” is enriched by Flo Lemoniier’s bass lines. In turn, Nicolas Muller takes a hold on the lead guitar and YoanK on the piano in the song “Remain in Darkness”.

In short, Assent is a project highly recommendable for metalcore and progressive music fans. Taking into account their sound and influences, we can say they are sort of a mix between Gojira and Devin Townsend. In ”We Are The New Black”  the listener  is able to find a balance between heavy metalcore/death metal and the progressive side of music, making it an excellent release, suitable for those who look for that balance in today’s music scene.

8/10

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