Aussitôt Mort share members (Pierre and Antoine) as well as a hometown in France (Caen) and language with screamo mainstays Amanda Woodward. Thus, the bands also vaguely share some characteristics in style (amid frequent comparisons to Daïtro), but more often than not Aussitôt Mort sounds like a whole new beast.

Often reaching for more atmospheric textures and that famous juxtaposition between beauty and intensity (I'm thinking mid-era Envy here -- just check out "Une Once de Courage"), Aussitôt Mort's 6 Songs compilation CD|EP is a mighty impressive release. Encompassing the band's discography thus far -- a demo / self-titled 12" recorded in October 2005 and a split 7" with Balboa recorded in April 2006 -- there's a fine continuity here nonetheless.

There isn't necessarily a full-on ambient nature at work here, though. The band do manage to maintain a certain riffiness, like on opener "Memoria Grigia"; however, the song does experiment with spacey guitars and seemingly more mathy chords. Such a fashion continues on in the next track, "Aussitôt Dort, Aussitôt Mort," too. The aforementioned "Une Once de Courage" is indicative of a bold, brooding restraint that the band knows how to wield well. All the while occurring is a perfectly aggressive, screamed lead vocal, vivid and compelling guitar interplay and a constantly shifting base that finds new ways to play with dynamics. The split songs feature slight improvements in recording and memorability; closer "Percute" is particularly fascinating, exuding a powerful and heavy post-rock muscle for two minutes before vocals join the mammoth fray and help take the six-minute song to its epic finish.

The foundation has certainly been laid strong for Aussitôt Mort's upcoming debut full-length. If they can actually manage to progress upon this formula, sacre bleu!

Memoria Grigia
Le Desespoir des Singes

STREAM
Percute