Ghoulunatics
Cryogénie
Galy
GooloonaTEEKS. Nah, it still sounds dumb.
While many non-English speaking bands have to scratch and claw for any ounce of respect they can get from we Anglophones, metal fans seem to have an easier time accepting bands that sing in different languages. All you have to do to, it seems, is just sound scary. It doesn’t matter what you’re singing about, or what language you speak; if you can deliver the lines while sounding incredibly badass, you’ll win folks over. Need proof? Just look at Rammstein, who have perfected the gimmick over the last decade—it’s exactly what Montreal band Ghoulunatics do. The majority of us have no idea what they’re carrying on about in French, but they sure sound cool doing it.
Being a Quebec band on the ever-reliable Galy label, it’s easy to assume these guys are yet another death-grind outfit to come from the ridiculously healthy local scene, but they’ve always bucked the trend, and continue to on their fifth album. Obviously inspired by the death ‘n’ roll of Entombed and Grave, and injecting the music with churning, Tool-like moments, Cryogénie is all about the massive, headbang-inducing groove, which is in abundance here, from the killer, no-frills opener “Exérèse” to chugger “Monstrueusement Vôtre” and the lurching “Raz-de-Mariage.” Patrick Mireault’s Till Lindemann-esque growl does sound redundant after a while, but with above average production by Pierre Rémillard and a willingness to keep things brief and concise, it’s enough fun to almost make us forget the sheer goofiness of the band’s name. Well, almost. —Adrien Begrand
