Maïeutiste - Veritas (2019)

The eponymous 2015 debut from these Frenchman was a torrent of ideas fashioned into a cohesive but often overwhelming whole, as they wove together a number of metallic sub-styles; melodic black and death, doom, folk and progressive touches were omnipresent through that experience, and from the sounds of it that aspect of the band has not really changed with the sophomore effort Veritas. So go into this expecting a fair depth of complexity, not that individual riffing sequences are necessarily the most technical you'll run into, just that combined into the overall package, there's quite a lot going on and by the time you've ingested one of its elements, they will be all ready to dazzle you with the next. Fortunately, they're both great players and writers, with a lot of quality riffs on exhibition and it's a pleasure to lose oneself in their labyrinths of flavorful, morose hostility.

For example, within the first minute of the second track "Infinitus" you're run over by a bustling and claustrophobic mesh of melodic black metal riffs, and then the tune devolves into compelling, deep acoustic sounds and cleaner male chanting vocals which should definitely please fans of a Mikael Åkerfeldt, or the cleaner vocals employed by Enslaved and their peers. Then the almost jazzy, rhythmic currents erupt and I'm once again reminded of a group like Opeth if they were embedded in more of a storming black/death metal context rather than a pensive, naturalistic atmosphere. You will never know what you're about to face around any corner here..."Suspiramus" is essentially a brief neoclassical opera interlude, while "Universum" clouts you with these bold, tectonic mid-paced rhythms that feel like the Earth is stirring beneath your feet while the melodies ring out over an ever dimming sky above the turmoil. There is simply no moment that passes upon Veritas in which you can accuse the group of not being inspired, of creating a depth to their material that is vastly more interesting than your garden variety melodic black metal approach.

The musicianship is fluid and incredible without ever bordering on any sort of arrogance or lack of self-discipline. Maïeutiste is great in the calmer periods, like the spacious guitars in the lurching, doomed belly of "Vocat", and equally potent where they get the most intense, guitars blazing along in all manner of melodies and harmonies that ensure payoff for the listener. The drums are well done, both the harsh and clean vocals are perfectly fit to the patchwork of material, and there is a great wealth of dynamic range to their compositions to keep this interesting through multiple listens. It's probably a little more coherent than their debut, and I like it a fraction more, to the point that I'd heartily recommend if you're a fan of groups that transformed their more fundamental black metal roots into a more progressive, expansive sound later on, especially the Scandinavian masters, or perhaps Spain's Foscor is a good comparison even if they've progressed much further apace. Good band that painfully few people that talk about, another gem in that creatively overstocked French scene which remains one of the most interesting in the world.

Verdict: Win [8/10]

https://www.facebook.com/maieutisteofficial

Maïeutiste - Maïeutiste (2015)

It's a testament to Maïeutiste's ingenuity that across the 76 minutes of their eponymous debut, ridden with stylistic variation, the French act still manages to convey an effective experience which eschews the safety parameters of its constituent genres to manifest whatever it so pleases. There's a certain amount of creative dissonance and emotional disparity at play, especially when leaping between cuts of such different vision as the atmospheric doom of "Introductions..." and the ensuing bursts of melodic black metal dubbed "...In the Mirror...", but what patches all the bands' ideas into a coherent quilt is the constant focus on surprising, memorable hooks that are strung along with just enough frequency that the audience's attention will snap back from any precipice of disconnection.

Granted, for some listeners, the wealth of aesthetics here might prove too scattershot and unfocused to really immerse oneself. The slower, drearier sequences create an obvious contrast against the faster, blast beat-driven segments, but beyond that the black and doom tags are threaded liberally with elements of thrashing or melodic death metal licks. There are ambient-honed interludes using double bass strings and deeper chants ("Purgatoire"). Saxophone. Anything that sticks. Moody jazz progressions are interlaced with explosions of metallic aggression ("Absolution"). And it never feels as if it's cheap, as if the band is writing 'different' for different's sake, because so much of the actual composition is well-comported, intelligent and interesting. When they're scathing along a pure black metal axis it captures a lot of that mid to late 90s vibe when the Scandinavians were evolving their individual sounds to incorporate more progressive inclinations and complex melodic textures, but that is by no means the defining 'sound' to this album, just one of many weapons on exhibit.

Even the vocals are all over the place, for better or worse. Stock black rasps and deeper gutturals are juxtaposed with soaring, folksy male cleans and whispers, and while individually these don't feel too distinct in the wake of the many other bands that have used them all, it almost seems necessary to match up with the versatile palette of instrumentation. There is a risk here that Maïeutiste would collapse under the weight of so much eclecticism, especially when you consider the sheer length of the debut, but this is staved off by the general quality of the individual riffs and the overt amount of effort they must have expended putting it all together. Overly ambitious? Over extended? Perhaps, to some orthodox  extreme metal listeners who prefer everything wrapped tidily into their chosen lifestyle package with a bow on top; but I can't help but feel admiration for how these Frenchmen conduct themselves and their orchestra of kinetic woe. There are awkward if not jarring transitions, and some licks fall slightly behind others in overall impact, but the album is just so substantial and cleanly produced that it's worth checking out by fans of  Ne Obliviscaris, Cormorant, Enslaved, Opeth and Vintersorg-era Borknagar.

Verdict: Win [7.75/10]

http://maieutiste.ovh.org/