March Of Scylla – Andromeda
March Of Scylla – Andromeda
Klonosphere Records
07/03/2025
Review by Oli Gonzalez
9/10
Another progressive metal band from France? I’ve spoke of numerous occasions about the ridiculous depth of talent from this nation. The gold medal winning performance of Gojira at last summer’s Olympics should be more than enough evidence of that! A band cited as an influence for today’s band under the spotlight, March Of Scylla, who are on the verge of releasing their latest record “Andromeda”. Citing lyrical themes centred around ‘the vastness of space and humanity’s intricate relationship with science, the cosmos, and the afterlife’, I’m curious to see how these manifest. I can also see a few references to Greek mythology in the track listing, which is speaks to my inner nerdiness and also peaked my curiosity in terms of how this will appear on this album. Let’s get into it…
Well, the headphones are on with the volume suddenly increasing voluntarily. Within a few seconds I’m hooked! This is sounding absolutely huge already! Melodic and accessible, yet skull crushingly atmospheric this is just… I need a minute to catch my breath…
…Ok I’m back.
That opening track made a clear impression on me. They’ve done their homework on producing the most crushing soundscapes in the studio and bringing this impressive vision to life. This seems to utilise rather simple guitar riffs, on the surface, but I wouldn’t want to even attempt to decipher how complex the mix would be for this!
Much like Joe Duplantier of Gojira, the voice of March Of Scylla is one dripping in raw emotion and sentiment deeper than the oceans. Whether it’s the more soothing melodic vocals or gut wrenching screams, every lyric and vocal line means something and is void of filler.
After a near 15 minute assault on the senses, you need a bit of a break, right? ‘To Cassiopeia’ offers this in a near 3 minute post-apocalyptic drone inspired number. Minimalist though haunting, especially with the almost ritualistic chanted vocals, this gives you some semblance of calm and some temporary respite before the onslaught continues in the sludgey affair that is ‘Dark Matter’.
I noticed some references to British melodic metalcore act Architects in the band’s influences, but struggle to see this until it became clearer in ‘Storm Dancer’, especially with the more on the nose and post-hardcore directness. A slight change up like this was needed because I did fear that things were starting to become a little repetitive and one dimensional perhaps. Some variation in the compositional approach and more expansion in this area would vastly benefit the band. Or just simply making the album a bit shorter; showcasing what they’re all about in 25-30 minutes rather than stretching it out longer. Though we do see some more experimental rhythmic patterns in the latter stages of the album and the drums getting to be in the spotlight more. This provides some differentiators between the songs and makes the lieks of ‘Myrrha’ and ‘Cosmogony’ some of the more salient tracks. Otherwise it’s hard to tell them apart.
That’s my only slight on what is a band with a wholesomely awesome sound! It feels as though the band are still cooking in the sense that they’re a supremely talented act with a very clear vision. They just need to figure out the best way of presenting this to the masses.
TRACKLISTING:
01. Ulysses’ Lies
02. Death Experience
03. The Royal Way
04. To Cassiopeia
05. Dark Matter
06. Storm Dancer
07. BlaAst
08. Achilles’ Choice
09. Myrrha
10. Cosmogony
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