3 out of 5

Label: Africantape

Produced by: ?

I’ve posed elsewhere a question which is once again relevant: If I heard Tormenta first, before however many other instrumental hardcore / math bands, would they be the band to which I’d compare others?

I’m also, as ever, in a “nothing new under the sun” kinda way, wondering if I’d heard what the genre has to offer, and so everything else is just nuance, but of course not: I discover new things all the time that still blow my mind.

So, no, although another review I read of this Africantape release was all raves, there was a large gap where they only named some contemporaries for RIYLs – er, not very apt ones, if I’m being honest – and, like, Metallica as a reference for the metal parts, so I haughtily wonder if that reviewer maybe just wasn’t aware of what else was going on in this scene, then or before.

Tormenta combines the common math influences of classic prog – Yes, King Crimson – with some of the metal riffing of Don Caballero, or stepping moreso into hardcore, Keelhaul. But we have some key influences tempering things here: the classical guitar backing of Jeff Grimal (credited with writing and arrangements), and drummer Vincent Beysselance’s experience with looser, jazzier formats in groups like Cheval de Frise. Alongside bassist / guitarist Esteban Rodière, La Ligne Âpre launches with a surprisingly aggressive sound for Africantape – definitely more chugga chugga than the label tended towards – before it peels back into something much more controlled. That “control” is ultimately what I kept hearing, and honestly what prevented the disc from making much of an impact. It’s impressive, undoubtedly, and the trio’s precise wielding of their skills never flags, but the tracks where the group either doesn’t aim for anything wholly complex or, oppositely, pushes towards a more typical build-and-release structure – Fêlure, La Sensation De Membre Fantôme – those songs shine, showing off some personality. But then it kind of retreats to what feels like a shield of over-composed genre mashing.

Which is way more critical than I mean it to be. Grimal’s touch is an appreciated one; there’s almost like the ghost of L’ocelle Mare or something in here, and perhaps drawing a stronger divide between the loud and quiet, or pursuing something more direct would’ve actually differentiated this more. Math metal is just a crowded scene, and while La Ligne Âpre is an absolutely appreciated entry, I can’t say it’s a wholly unique one.