Band's List Metal Grendel (FRA) Le Diable En Personne

Before starting the review, I had no idea about what a Grendel could be. After searching in the band’s website, I’ve discovered that Grendel was an aquatic monster insensible to weapons and which used to trouble the peaceful life in King Hrothgar’s kingdom, in Denmark. It was a man eater. He died during a long fight against Beowulf, the kingdom’s defender!!! Ok, the mystery being solved, it’s time now to have a look to this sympathetic album.


While decrypting the iconography of the jacket without my little introduction would have been problematic, the music itself is much simpler to describe. The band throws its metal with no comprise at our face. Furthermore, Le Diable En Personne also manages to show some diversity without loosing its soul in the operation. ‘Generation NRV’ for example, a mix of metalcore and hip-hop, has started by abash me before seducing me thank to the constant spite it delivers. In a completely different style, ‘Grass Power 2’, with its water pipe intro and its devastating riff, is also very efficient despite being more basic. A pure killing in your face on stage: that’s probably a good description of what is Grendel.
Efficiency is probably what described best this album. The riffs are raw and aggressive, a little like The Arrs. Furthermore, Grendel’s album manages to groove quite a lot despite all its brutality, which is a good sign. The singing is raw too but the texts remain understandable, partly because they are written in our beautiful French language. Even if the refrains are extremely basic (“Plus de Sexe” – NDR: “More Sex”), the whole is quite rich and various. Cool.


Here is a good album which will bring noise at home. To add to our pleasure, Grendel has the reputation of being excellent onstage, it’s a killing!!!!!!!!!!!!



Translated by Heavyboy