When the French progressive-rock/metal band Darjeeling was offered record deals from two different French labels, it should have jumped at the opportunity. Instead, claiming the deals weren't good enough, the band enlisted lead vocalist Eric Pariche to produce Darjeeling's debut CD, l' Envers du Décor. Big mistake. Never mind the French-language vocals; the 13 tracks on l' Envers du Décor lack melodies, finesse and restraint. A decent producer would have demanded that this quartet not plod from song to song, with Pariche twisting his strong voice into all sorts of dramatic faux-falsetto and spoken-word acrobatics. Musically, influences from Dream Theater to Queensryche to Deep Purple can be heard, but you can actually remember songs by those artists. Darjeeling's songs, on the other hand, full of chugging riffs and ethnic overtones, fail to make an impact, and sitting through almost an hour of this actually feels like a chore. The band says it's looking for a worldwide distribution deal for l' Envers du Décor. I say, "Good luck."
Track Listing:
1) Entrer En Matière
2) L'envers Du Décor
3) Insensé
4) Passionnément Correct
5) La Transe
6) La Chair Humaine
7) Nos Fiançailles
8) Les Sirènes
9) La Tendance
10) L'involu Songe
11) Moi Je…
12) Mes Oeillères
13) Vision
Printer Friendly Page
Send to a Friend
