THRASH LA REINE – La Foi, La Loi, La Croix
- Posted on 07-07-2019
On their second EP, Renaud Baril (guitars/vocals) Anthony Domm-Bélisle (bass) and Guillaume Leblanc (drums), thanks to Jon Asher/Asher Media Relations promotion, present a catchy and very melodic blend of heavy metal and thrash, never forgetting to keep the attention of the listener sharp, be it for the Anthrax-ian opener "Pourchasser Le Dragon" (Pursuing The Dragon) or thrashy Megadeth-ian band name track or the punkish "La Peur Du Lendemain" (The Fear The Day After) turned Isole doom-ish with "Where The Wild Things Are" Metallica James Hetfield-ian vocals, Thrash La Reine showcase incredible songwriting and instrumental prowess. They can even wax progressive a’la Iron Maiden in the supermelodic "Le Rédempteur" (The Redeemer) and the riff heavy "Youthanasia" Megadeth epic closer "Du Sang Sur Les Plaines" (Blood On The Lowlands). In the clean vocal parts, Renaud Baril often sounds as if Trivium’s Matt Heafy switched to French, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing, especially when the Canadian’s take pages from Matt’s "Ascendancy" riffing patterns.
Only "Garde La Foi" (The Shield Of Faith), on this 6 song affair, seems significantly not up to the high standard set by the others. While it recalls Megadeth’s "Reckoning Day" and maintains the same high level of musicianship, it sounds more like a drinking anthem or a b-side in comparison.
In their own words, with "La Foi, La Loi, La Croix" (The Faith, The Law, The Cross) Thrash La Reine set out to mix the epic themes of power metal with the social topics of punk and thrash metal to make a style that they dubbed "Francophone satirical epic thrash", and, irrespective of the fact that I hardly read French, musically, I think they accomplish their goal courtesy of Pierre Rémillard’s excellent production and Jacob Hansen’s powerful well-balanced mix, with flawless musicianship and excellent songwriting. I am looking forward to the first full length while highly recommending this EP.