Elyose â Ăvidence Review
By Dolphin Whisperer
Being true to yourself as a listener is an essential part of the reviewing process. So, at a very base level, I can say things like âIâm tired of hearing djent riffsâ and âpop-infused metal doesnât do anything for me.â And, at my core, I can know those things are true. Except, every now and again, well-crafted music comes along and bashes upon our truths like a coup de foudre to an unsuspecting heart. Such was the case when I encountered Elyoseâs hook-laden, djentrified y2k platter of DĂ©viante. And so too am I again smitten with the chug-ridden, cybergoth stylings of Ăvidence. The proof, as they say, is in the purple pudding.
Though incepted as a fuller band effort with the heart of an electronically urgent, less symphonic Nightwish or Epica, Elyose now falls under the primary care of vocalist and composer Justine DaaĂ©. With collaborative assistance from djent veteran Anthony Chognard (ex-Smash Hit Combo), Elyose has shifted from pop heavy metal-rooted hop to a sound more Kemper-fied and modern. But unlike other popular female-voiced acts who sport a melodic focus around extended range rhythms, like Spiritbox or Poppy, DaaĂ© sticks to the power of her full and trained clean timbre, finding vocal play in lush harmonies and playful percussive runs.1 Maintaining Ăvidence in almost entirely her native French tongue, DaaĂ© brings both an earnestness and extra depth of pronunciation expression to each passing phrase.2 Though Ăvidence has an undeniable musical catchiness and air of accessibility, its bones remain too personal in aim and adoration for an industrial/alternative past, and too metal in dramatic spirit, to land neatly in a pop lane.
Despite the layers that DaaĂ© peppers into triumphant choruses and textured verse articulations, Chognard maintains a workmanlike framing with riff accompaniment to build rhythmic tension around hypnotic synth lines. On the most electronic leading tracks, Elyoseâs warbling hooks grow from subdued fluctuations to whirring guitar squeals to strobe-blaring crescendo with a cinematic scope and effortless swagger (âMission Lunaire,â âThĂ©ogyne 2.0â). And in a manner reminiscent of the smart and slamming groove from the most successful VOLA works, Chognard weaves jagged thumps alongside powerful, character-driven vocal tethers to sink Ăvidenceâs teeth even deeper into the urge to hit the replay button (âAscension TracĂ©e,â âImmuable,â âAbnĂ©gationâ). Out of context, bits and pieces of the modern guitar work can feel like patchwork memories from a mind informed by â10s djent memories, but in context it maintains a careful balance with DaaĂ©âs unique presence.
That familiarity of riffcraft does hold Elyose from striking harder throughout parts of Ăvidence, though. Itâs less the note-for-note dĂ©jĂ vu of a nasally amp-simulated tapping run or a seven-string Periphery preset note crushing than it is the overall flatness of guitar production that takes away some of the mystique that classic crunchy layer can offer. Again, many of these clips that offend in this way serve as short segues or setups for DaaĂ© to mark with greater lasting power the peaks of each composition. And a few licks that warp and chime alongside intense bridges hold a particularly nostalgic resplendence in their carry (âĂtoile Solitaire,â âAscension TracĂ©eâ). But for a couple of tracks that follow patterns on a similar path (namely âTentatives ĂchouĂ©esâ and âPrĂȘte au Combatâ), the escalating flow that pervades through Ăvidence can lose its way.
Not all pleasures in life have to be complicated, yet it would be disingenuous to call Ăvidence simple. While the formula for Ăvidence hasnât changed much from DĂ©viante, Elyose continues to perform with an idiosyncratic style rooted in detailed, memorable mic work and addictive, groovy instrumental backing that is hard to put down. Thereâs no secret to Elyoseâs successâevery song shoves an undeniable chorus through the trials of verses and bridges and reprisals that fall exactly where they should. But Ăvidence powers through the complacency of chorus worship with a voice determined to soar. The only feeling that could make the joy of Elyoseâs music more rewarding is perseverance, a feeling which Ăvidence embodies with a glitching and gliding charisma and a catharsis-clenched fist held high.
Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: PCM3
Label: Self Release
Websites: elyosemusic.com | facebook.com/elyoseofficial
Releases Worldwide: January 10th, 2025
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