I've primarily listened to older music for the past couple of years, neglecting to check out the majority of newer releases that have crossed my path during that time. So I have to thank artist Romain Barbot for being responsible for my exposure to curious French metal act Ethersens via their eight-track, 55-minute sophomore outing, Your Wandering Ghost (released by Italian label Scarlet Records). I was browsing through available digital promos one day just to see what was out there, when the album's cover art immediately caught my eye. Something about the chilly, autumnal color palette and pensive tone of the photograph jumped out at me, so I decided to give the album a listen.
I'm glad I did.
Your Wandering Ghost follows the band's debut, Ordinary Days, by nearly six years; and its predominantly Katatonia meets Anathema approach adds a number of diverse flourishes into the mix for an intriguing listening experience. In addition to light dashes of shimmery "post-metal" textures and a few big, catchy choruses are strangely effective fragments that could almost be compared to emo/indie rock or—arguably—tactful "nu-metal". For example, "Livin' Memory", which is among the more straightforward compositions, bears a pretty strong resemblance to something Embodyment might have come up with circa Hold Your Breath; while "Reflect" interjects into this formula random bursts of unexpectedly grinding tremolo picking.
The album can be a little slow-moving at times. Most of the tracks run six to nine minutes, and the longer pieces can definitely drag a bit, occasionally taking a little too long to really get going ("Mourning Light"). But "This is Where You and I Part Ways" is a fucking masterpiece that instantly sold me on the band. The third song, it's the first of the tracks that opens with pounding, densely distorted guitars right off the bat, so it's got a little more of a chug to it; with some nice, emphatic drumming to boot. And the chorus is mind-blowingly awesome, loaded with exceptional singing and songwriting that's comparable to some of the best from bands like Thine (which is a high compliment from my side). It's driving me crazy that I can't find the song streaming online anywhere to include with this write-up. (Here's a not-quite-as-powerful demo version.) It's actually a huge miss that there's only one track from the album available online, granted that song, "To Live is to Forget", probably does come the closest to touching upon all of the album's assorted tactics within a single piece. (Tell me that opening segment isn't straight up emo/indie!?)
I always respect bands that are able to build upon recognizable influences while bending and manipulating certain characteristics into something that's just different enough to get some color outside the lines, and Ethersens has absolutely succeeded in that with Your Wandering Ghost. I'll be picking up physical copies of both of the band's albums in the near future, and hope it won't be another six-year wait for new material!
