B R I Q U E V I L L E - Quelle

Angry Metal Guy

B R I Q U E V I L L E. Yes, the promo blurb immediately reassures me, the “spaces between the letters are indeed part of their moniker.” And I roll my eyes and dispense with the spaces.¹ Quelle is the third record from this Flanders, Belgium collective and the first to have a title, following 2014’s self-titled debut and 2017’s II. The title is a linguistic play on Quelle‘s differing meanings in German and French, ‘source’ and ‘which,’ respectively, with the “theme of a ‘source’ and the ‘which’ linking it reflexively to our previous album artwork,” quoth the raven Nazgûl-robed, golden-masked BRIQUEVILLE member. Cue more eye rolling from yours truly. It would be fair to say that I embarked on Quelle with a sense of mounting irritation at the pretentiousness of it all — I can’t even tell you how many people are in this ‘collective.’ Was I justified in being so unreasonably annoyed before I heard a note from BRIQUEVILLE?

Quelle picks up, quite literally, where II left off, opening with “Akte VIII” – the song titles run through BRIQUEVILLE‘s discography in a continuous sequence, with “Akte I” to “IV” on the debut and “Akte V” through “VII” on II. Unlike its predecessors, which toyed with vocals (see “Akte II” and “Akte VI”), Quelle is an entirely instrumental affair. Playing progressive, atmospheric post-metal, BRIQUEVILLE have an abrasive edge to their sound, with chunky almost ISIS-like riffs rolling over a sea of discordant synths, dissonant samples, and soaring melodies. But the components ebb and flow. As we move, for example, from the jarring, staccato riffing of “Akte IX” — reminiscent of Beak — into Quelle’s longest cut, “Akte X,” the guitars and drums fall off a cliff, leaving eerie static and nerve jangling squeals. Over “Akte X”’s nearly quarter-hour run time, BRIQUEVILLE gradually build the track, piece by piece, as delicate guitar melodies and muted percussion lead through what I will describe as psychedelic prog and then work back towards those sweet, sweet towering post-metal riffs, which drop without warning.

Quelle by B R I Q U E V I L L E

“Akte X” encapsulates in one act² what BRIQUEVILLE do so well across Quelle. Building layers and moods, as one element enters the fray, another falls away to give the new piece room to breathe. So, as the jagged intensity of “Akte X”’s ending drops away, it is replaced by a gorgeous folk-like melody in “Akte XI.” While there is much of Quelle that reminds me of Psychonaut and Bossk, I have to admit, much to my chagrin, that I find BRIQUEVILLE more captivating, and that is despite the lack of any vocals. For an instrumental album with a runtime just shy of an hour to enthrall me in the way Quelle has, was completely unexpected. As the undoubted Godspeed You! Black Emperor vibes give way to something approaching sludgy doom at times, (“Akte XII,” which also plays with wordless, ghostly vocal samples), Quelle continued to surprise me.

Apparently Quelle will be one of the “first real pandemic-albums to be released on Pelagic,” with BRIQUEVILLE’s gold-masked members having to complete work on the record separated from each other. Sadly, you can hear this. For all its many pros, Quelle sprawls … at times it feels like everything hangs together, all the pieces exactly where they should be; things are slow and mesmerizingly repetitive but work (“Akte X”). At other times, however, the record meanders somewhat and occasionally gets lost in its own vastness (“Akte XIV”). Frankly, it would be quite an incredible achievement if an instrumental post-metal record of this length and scope, recorded in lockdown, did not have some moments of disjointedness, so I do not want to make this criticism bigger than it needs to be. It does dent my enjoyment of Quelle, but not by much.

Quelle also sounds gorgeous, for all the hopeless misery that drenches the music. It’s rich and textured, managing to balance — sometimes simultaneously — melodic psychedelia with gritty post-metal riffs and unsettling electronica. To be honest, I shouldn’t have doubted that I would enjoy Quelle. You see, the Queen ov Darkness herself, Madam X, asked me to pick up BRIQUEVILLE for review. The last time she actively asked me to review something specific — as opposed to simply telling me to review more stuff — it was Panzerfaust, and look how fucking great that worked out for me! I have toyed with the score for Quelle, originally thinking it was a nailed on 4.0, but the more time I’ve spent with it, the more the length and few disjointed moments bothered me. I really like what BRIQUEVILLE are doing, and if it could just be tightened up very slightly, we’d be talking end of year list contention.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Pelagic Records
Websites: briqueville.bandcamp.com | briqueville.com | facebook.com/briqueville
Releases Worldwide: October 2nd, 2020

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