Albums

Amute - Infernal Heights for a Drama

Craig Broad 10/03/2009

Rating: 2/5

Amute is the brain child of Belgium based Jeróme Deuson who, having created music as a solo artist since 2002, finds himselfs releasing Amute's latest album, Infernal Heights For A Drama with the backing of a full band for the first time in his career.

With Infernal Heights For A Drama you get an interesting album that clearly has no boundaries and no focus on what is currently selling via the music charts. Its eight tracks are full of creative ideas, all soaked in electronic sounds while orchestral instruments flit in and out of each song, fleshing it out to create a new experience. It has to be expected that in the aftermath of what was previously a solo project, that there would be a lot of electronic elements in the music and it is something that a lot of music fans have come to expect from acts coming from such places as Belgium, despite this, that is not when Amute shine. The majority of tracks within Infernal Heights For A Drama are enough to make anyone feel cold and lifeless, after all, electronic elements will never portray sheer emotion and honesty which is why this album is purely at its best when it pulls back those sounds and shows you what can be done with guitar, bass and more importantly, steady drumming. The effect of such simple musicianship, added with orchestral sounds and what seems to be broken instruments forms a complete entity that you are engulfed in but such effects rarely last as they are often covered either in more electronic sounds or what can only be described as monotone, uninspiring vocals.

While Amute can ultimately be admired for what can be said is a genre-less album, their main positive is also their main negative. In searching for comparisons, you can often derail an album, Infernal Heights For A Drama is ultimately an original piece of art but for split seconds you can see influences creeping through and for every influence found within this album, there is one major difference - Amute just aren't memorable. While for some that may be a great thing and it will certainly gain them respect in certain circles which will push them to tour even more successfully than they have been, but Amute are aiming at such a small niche that it isn't even imaginable who would buy this record and whoever does, whether it would stand the test of time for the listener to pay attention more than two times around.