Band's List Fusion Mass Hysteria L'Armée des Ombres

If Mass Hysteria's previous album, Failles, served as an omen of what was to come musically from the band, L'Armée des Ombres summons forth the emissaries of metal by delving once more into the industrial style Mass Hysteria has become known for. Conceptually, the album with its haunting beats and morbid lyrics perfectly captures the atmosphere that surrounds the band that comes full circle by embracing the heavy metal style which seemed to have dimmed in years prior.

Nevertheless, the band continues with its process of music melding and mixing as they find ways to include contrasting sounds alongside the riffs, solos and drumbeats of their songs. The piano intro in Même si j'explose immediately engulfs you with an eerie sensation of isolation and anxiety as it builds to the raging guitar heard throughout. Much similarly, the opening riff in L'homme s'entête roars with an intensity akin to a swarm of killer bees. All songs in fact, in one way or another, bring something to the forefront with their own unique sound while still keeping in sync with the intensity of the metal sound. Such diversity that still manages to pump you up with its raw force is incredible and shows that Mass Hysteria are more than capable of pushing their own boundaries in the same way that was seen with Contraddiction. I would give this album an 18/20