Zeal & Ardor : "GRIEF"

Do you remember back in 2017 when the music press was making a big deal about a person of color fronting a "black metal" band? The problem was that it did not feel like a black metal album at all.  Perhaps they wanted it to be so "black metal" would not be so "problematic". The hype was enough for this band to gain critical acclaim but has never scored higher than an 8.5 with me. In truth, their 2022 self-titled album was less impressive than "Stranger Fruit".  The last album was pretty much nu-metal, and now their fourth album is not metal at all. It sounds more like King's X than King Diamond.  However, we can now refer to this as a band since Manuel Gagnuex decided to let the live band he's toured with for the past years play on the albums. You might think with a full band cranking it in the studio it would cause things to rock a little more, but the opposite is true. 

If you told me the opening track was a new Sevendust song, I would believe you, though it is more of an intro for "Fend You Off". The vocals are soulful and performed well enough, but it's pretty generic modern rock. "Kilonova" is the first song that works, and perhaps the only song on this album that is worth a shit. Most of this is due to the fact the tightly syncopated tension of the guitar makes me think of Faith No More.  "are you the only one now" sounds as if King's X lost all of the down-tuned grunge heft that made their music work. Gagneux said this album was more personal, which I guess means lacks all the balls, even when the harsher vocals come in they are not convincing me and the thin mix of the instruments does not help their case.

"Go Home my Friend" has been done better by Algiers, who are the band that should be getting the hype this project has. On my second listen to the song it works better than the first time I heard it, but it does not go anywhere. "Clawing Out" sounds like Korn covering Pantera. Though lacking the heft of either band, the guitars could not sound any thinner. Much like King's X  there is a Beatles-like sound to "Disease" but is proof that not only are these guys not black metal, they are not metal at all despite their attempts to convince you otherwise on the previous song. "369" uses a more blues-like groove, though its stomp lacks direction. It's an interlude that is an idea that no longer can grow into a song. 

They are about as heavy as your average Muse radio hit on "Thrill", which pretty much works but feels like radio pandering, or an outright sell-out. "June ville vide" is another interlude, which makes it feel like this album is crammed with them because they had writer's block. They pretty much rip off Queens of the Stone Age on "Sugarcoat". If you ever wanted to hear what Queens of the Stone Age sounded like writing a nu-metal song this is your chance. The stripped-down ballad "Solace" reminds you that he can sing, but what do they really have to say? It's pretty boring. The build at the end is predictable. 

"Hide in the Shade" is another soulful foot stomper, that tries to recapture their earlier work, but this feels just an obligatory consolation prize, and lacks anything that makes it feel authentic. The breakdown in the song might be one of the album's most dynamic moments, but one song is not going to make this a metal album, metal is just a color they dabble with as there is no darkness in their hearts. "To My Ilk" is another ballad, that sounds like a Red Hot Chili Peppers b-side that never made the cut. I will give this album a 5.5 it's their worst moment yet, though that does not mean it won't outsell the other albums as the masses also buy Cardi B and Billie Eilish albums so their taste can not be trusted, if it could there would not be any Fast and Furious sequels. This feels like a product that is just as empty. It's like they asked AI what metal might sound like. 

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