Gantz is an emo band from France. So I'll lay it down right here, I have no idea what the lyrics mean nor understand them. But what I do know is the music is wonderful. Gantz follows the example from such bands as Envy but write more focused songs but still leave some plenty of room for the listener to feel like he is not constantly being beat to death by sound. Released wayyyy back in 2002, this album still is a good listen after the year I've had it for.
Gantz is very good at what they do. The breakdowns are very atmospheric and know when to stop before it gets boring. The title track is very good example of this. The breakdown lasts for just the right time and the contribution of clean French singing is beautiful.
La Complainte De Rutebrouef has a beautiful dreamy keyboard intro that just flutters around your head and
Telliah uses the same keyboard for a restful 2:00 minute "filler" track that is astounding but misleads you to the fury of
Arkanoidd. Gantz know how to use the loud-quite-loud formula better than most bands I have ever heard.
Gantz also know how to create fast and passionate emo songs.
La Prince Du Danemark shows a totally different side of the vocalist. His screams leave you breathless and are very brutal sounding. But to keep things interesting for 3 minutes they use many different riffs and rhythms throughout, and yes, even a small breakdown that is interrupted every few seconds for an emotional solo scream.
Arkanoidd also follows the more hardcore sound and uses
Telliah as a clever intro to build huge suspense before exploding into
Arkanoidd.
While they’re no outstanding solo instruments, they all do what they need to do. In the words of Frank Black "The less chops the better." The feel of the album is very melancholy thanks to the guitars subtle, sad noodlings. Gantz don't need to have any instrument spotlight but the vocalist could deserve one. His screams can harsh and even brutal but his singing voice is incredibly smooth and relaxing. The French vocals are definitely a plus. I can like the music without ever having to think "man those lyrics really ruin the song."
The only thing that really prevents this from being 4.5 or 5 material is that there are only 8 songs, 3 of which are mainly filler tracks. One of which being the wacky and experimental
Il N'y a Pas D'Amour D'Amour Heureux which is pretty fun on the first listen. But beside the small amount of tracks, this album is nearly flawless. America watch out, because this French emo is amazing.
