Voight Kampff
Substance Rêve

Going for a name that everyone will recognise where it comes from, that is what this French band is doing and I now write a few lines about their second album Substance Rêve. It has an album title that translates to dream substance and considering how it relates to the thoughts about whether or not androids dream of electric sheep one can consider it a pretty clever title. In the press info it is claimed that the band do techno-thrash metal and that this album spans a wider musical spectrum than the debut album More Human than Human that was released in 2012.

Opening with an eight and a half minute long track sets the tone and makes you aware of what kind of album this is. It is thrash at the base but it has a bit of sci-fi feel to it, almost film noir in the feel, the progressive term might also be thrown in there with the description of their music. The album is also quite long and perhaps not really varied enough to keep the listener paying full attention for more than an hour. The production is quite good but perhaps not something that stands out, and the same can be said about the growly, grunty vocals that are pretty okay but they do not stand out.

Overall I find this to be a pretty appealing album, not fantastic or fabulous but a good one to listen to. Good music when you travel the Shoulder of Orion perhaps, and music for you who enjoy the similar bands and other bands like them. It is good stuff, none of the tracks can be described as weaker – but none of them can be described as brilliant either. There are no standout tracks on this album and you really need to have standout material in some way or another to be really noticed, these days it isn’t enough just to make some dark sci-fi techno-thrash if it doesn’t have something that grabs me as a listener.

Do you like the similar bands, or did you enjoy the songs that end this review? If the answer is yes to that, then I think you should have a closer look at this album because the chances are good that you will find this appealing. I think that it is a rather good album, it has a cool artwork and a lot going for it but pretty soon the memory of it disappears like a tear in rain.

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