One of the great things about listening to prog metal is you never really know what to expect when you listen to an album for the first time. Maybe the band will be so heavy and electronic it sounds like Skrillex is battling a death metal band in your speakers. Or maybe it will be something more like The Ocean, something sweet, something melodic that will take you on a journey.
In the case of French outfit Kadinja’s brand new album Super 90’ you get a bit of all that on one album. With this album the band shake off any fears off a difficult second album after the rave reviews for their debut and at the same time reveal themselves as one of the most promising and exciting prog metal bands going around.
The experimental side of Kadinja is on show from the start of the album. Opening track ‘Empire’ feels like the band is competing against a video game. The fast paced verse and then melodic chorus promises the listener that they are in for a ride where they are never going to be able to pick what is happening next. That ride then gets a hell of a lot sweeter as the vocal skills of Philippe Charney come to the fore on ‘From The Inside.’
‘The Modern Rage’ again shows why Charney should be considered one of the finest vocalists going around, while ‘Icon’ shows glimpses of that terrific Linkin Park sound that they delivered when they were in the prime. The melodic vocals and the in-your-face guitars make it an contender for one of the best tracks of 2019. That classic prog metal sound then rears its head on ‘The Right Escape’ – a track that oozes smoothness in parts before becoming completely manic at other times.
The heavier style vocals of ‘Veronique’ makes it sound like a track that could have been lifted straight off a Deftones album and then is boosted when the electronic sound kicks in. Then comes the slowest track on the album – a well-written ballad titled ‘Episteme’ that would perfect to be used on a movie soundtrack.
Kadinja’s aggression then returns with the verses ‘Strive’ and then completely takes over with the brutal tracks – ‘Muted Rain’ and ‘House Of Cards.’ These tracks really show that Kadinja are the type of the band that could turn their sights to any genre of metal and pull it off with ease. As if to ram home their brilliance they end the album with ‘Avec tout mon Amour’ a largely instrumental track that then reaches a crescendo containing an amazing guitar solo mixed with gospel like vocals.
As a record label Arising Empire have been delivering some amazing albums over the past twelve months or so and once again they deliver the goods with Kadinja as well. While the celebration of all things 1990s might night be as obvious as it could have been this is still one hell of an album that should win over even more fans for a band that totally deserves it.
