Aephanemer has always been a promising melodic and especially symphonic death metal band, but nothing prepared me for how much ‘Utopie’ was going to overwhelm me. The French trio went through an evolution that goes beyond the growth bands usually show between two albums, to the point where the whole symphonic melodeath moniker might not accurately describe them anymore. In a compositional sense, ‘Utopie’ is best described as an orchestral score that just happens to include drums, bass and electric guitars in its instrumentation. This approach creates an album that is highly unpredictable, and extremely engaging.

Comparing ‘Utopie’ to classical music mainly concerns the arrangements and the melodic structures. The orchestrations are extremely sophisticated, and multiple melodies are often woven through each other to create a cinematic, but never overly bombastic atmosphere. Melodically, ‘Utopie’ is closest to baroque music, though there certainly are some early Romantic influences in the compositions as well. In terms of form, ‘Utopie’ is more adventurous, however, with multiple songs bordering on being through-composed rather than a sonata form or a verse-chorus structure. It’s a logical progression for Aephanemer, but one that distinctly moves away from traditional riffs and song structures.

Then there is the fact that the entire album is held together by an overarching theme of utopias and the effects of their ideas on society. Marion Bascoul delivers these ideas by growling entirely in French, which also contributes to ‘Utopie’ having a noticeably different atmosphere from any prior Aephanemer album. All of these aspects contribute to an album with a sense of cohesion that makes it difficult to listen to just one specific song, or a few. Aephanemer clearly embraces the art of the album here, creating a full-fledged, dynamic listening experience that works its way through multiple climaxes.

However, that doesn’t mean that ‘Utopie’ is devoid of highlights. The lengthy title suite that closes the album was an immediate favorite due to how it builds from its purely orchestral intro to an epic, massive-sounding two-parter that makes better use of space than symphonic metal bands usually do. ‘Chimère’ and ‘Contrepoint’ are somewhat more aggressive than the rest of the album, without deviating from the core sound of ‘Utopie’ too much. ‘Le Cimetière Marin’ is an excellent opener in that it’s both a relatively accessible representation of the album and a great song, while the instrumental ‘La Rivière Souterraine’ is relatively riff-driven.

If there is one band within the greater symphonic melodeath idiom that deserves to be freed from its label of being inspired by Children of Bodom, it would be Aephanemer. Personally, I never thought that description was entirely accurate, but the altered approach on ‘Utopie’ really hammers home that the French band has a completely different take on similar influences. It’s a take that doesn’t let itself be limited by preconceived ideas of what structure and arrangements should be, which has ultimately resulted in a fantastic album that feels like listening to a true musical adventure.

Recommended tracks: ‘Utopie (Partie I)’, ‘Utopie (Partie II)’, ‘Le Cimetière Marin’