The name La Mer translates from French for “the sea”, and it happens to be the perfect moniker for this one man project. An ocean can be both calm and choppy, shallow or deep, all of which apply La Mer’s fifth full length album, Tetrahedra. Featuring a (lucky) thirteen tracks, this record is a multifaceted affair that takes atmospheric black metal into new realms, and one that takes the listener on a musical journey through dark and discombobulating soundscapes.
Perhaps more than any ether genre, black metal has become constrained by rules and expectations. Fans know exactly what they want and bands, on the whole, are only too happy to deliver. Therefore, it takes a brave artist to break down those walls (and break the rules) and risk the ire of their peers, but such an artist has appeared in the shape of the mysterious and enigmatic La Mer. Operating as a one man army gives this project a strong focus, and it feels as if all his energies have been honed into a fine laser beam. However, Tetrahedra gets off to a sedate start with notes plucked from a piano hanging like icicles that glisten in winter sun. Likewise, the clean vocals are not what we’d expect from a black metal album, yet they work for precisely that reason. The two combined give us no indication of the approaching tempest, meaning that when the instrumentation kicks in, it is with some force. Layers of sound are added, almost imperceptibly, and before the listener realises, they are totally subsumed in La Mer’s dark world.
The musical collage that forms the backdrop to ‘Last One Out’ makes a perfect analogy to La Mer’s sound; it is constantly shifting and makes him a hard artist to pigeonhole. Atmospheric black metal is the most obvious categorisation, and while that’s an apt tag, his sound is very evocative, in truth he’s about so much more. I’m picking up a definite ‘80s goth influence (Sisters Of Mercy) on ‘Patina’, and also a nod towards synthwave, both of which make for a richly textured listen. While there are many black metal devices employed; namely blast beats and screechy vocals, yet this is a far cleaner listener than your average fare, yet the huge white spaces employed only serve to make the heavier sections…heavier. There’s an invention on songs such as ‘Hell Can Wait’ that pushes this album towards the avant garde. From the clean vocals at the beginning of ‘Hell Can Wait’ to the guttural at the end, this sonic shift is typical of Tetrahedra and evidences an album that is in constant motion. That this album closes with a cover of Myslovitz’s alt rock classic ‘Nienawiść’ shouldn’t really come as a surprise, yet it is, and works precisely because La Mer puts his own stamp on proceedings.
The black metal old guard could definitely learn a thing or two from La Mer. He’s produced an album that incorporates some unexpected influences, yet stays true to the genres original ethos. If you want a glimpse of the future, I suggest you check out Tetrahedra.
- Tetrahedra is released via Godz Ov War and is available now (from here).
Track List:
- To The End
- Last One Out
- Tetrahedra
- Patina
- Sunsets
- Scratch
- Death Dogs
- Esse Non Videri
- Hell Can Wait
- Gallow Hill
- Where Sadness Lasts Forever
- Protostar
- Nienawiść
