Album Review: Novelists FR – C'est La Vie

Young Parisian quartet Novelists FR have clearly spent their formative years learning their craft. C’est La Vie, the follow-up to 2017’s Noir, is something of a sonic journey, blending a metalcore crunch, djent’s precision and a fearless sense of proggy adventure across its nine tracks.

They don’t showboat for its own sake, though. Instead, they tie their various elements with technicality and grace. Guitarist Florestan Durand’s performance, in particular, is exceptional. On opener Somebody Else, he switches from widdly, Van Halen-esque runs to jackhammer riffing with ease. Meanwhile, on Modern Slave the riffs, though technical, are used sparingly and allow frontman Matteo Gelsomino to flit between guttural roars and soaring, clean vocals without ever getting lost in the fray.

It’s a virtuosity which will no doubt sate the appetite of TesseracT and Periphery fans, yet there’s also a strength in their songwriting which sets them apart from the pack. Magnifique.

Verdict: 4/5