La Mer – Tetrahedra

For some reason I received this material relatively late, and since last year it’s been hidden away from my sight. Therefore my apologies to the extreme Polish label, Godz Ov War and the band La Mer (La Mer is French for ‘the sea’).

Prior to the first spin of this album I didn’t quite know what to expect, without even knowing the genre it performs. It initiated my search on websites, where I could read that La Mer is one-man (Jeremi) act from Scotland. What I found more is that the man has been active for just over three years in the time of the release of this fifth full-length entitled, Tetrahedra. He’s been highly productive, but is the music any good? To answer that question let’s start with the visual things first. The cover, with touches of melancholy, dreaminess and mystery, is a painting by Henri Martin. It’s a quite intriguing and pleasant cover artwork, but not fully representative of La Mer’s sound. Admittedly, I didn’t know what to expect, but I certanly do know that I got pleasantly surprised to hear blend of black metal, gothic rock, synth pop, with additional industrial, electro and atmospheric sounds. That’s the biggest strength of La Mer, playing a mixture of different sounds melting together into something unpredictable, diverse and rarely heard before.

Vocals are as varied as the instruments; sometimes utilizing some beautiful and hunting, while other times his vocals are harsh and growling. The riffs are played brilliantly and pretty much equally strong and intriguing on each of the thirteen tracks presented on Tetrahedra. Drums are intoxicating and thrilling, while the bass plays a crucial role in establishing a powerful and driving rhythm and foundation for each song.

I like catchy black metal moments on Tetrahedra, but I have to admit that my favourite tracks, or ‘melancholic gems’, are the opening “To the End”, “Patina” (listen below) and gloom-filled & depressive song named, “Where Sadness Lasts Forever”.

In a conclusion; Tetrahedra could have been a bit more cohesive and less disjointed at some places, but speaking in general terms – I would say that Tetrahedra is still an innovative, original, varied, intriguing and emotional album, presenting diverse and unique sounds, while displaying pure emotions of the author and the sole member of this project, Jeremi.

Recommended for all fans of avant-garde music and the acts like the Kovenant, Marilyn Manson, New World Revolution, Gothminister, HIM etc. Learn more one this one-man army from Scotland at his bandcamp.