Amiral! – Persona Non Grata (2012)

As the perfect break from listening to countless hours of Metal every day, today we have Amiral!’s debut full-length release “Persona Non Grata”. With very few Metal influences this ambient/instrumental rock release delivers 11 tracks of eerie atmospheres and beautifully crafted melodic passages. Being a one-man project, this release is extremely well produced and perfectly executed, showcasing the superb musical abilities of the mystery man behind Amiral!.

Opening with some audio from George Romero’s “Diary of the Dead”, “Chi Kung” sets the mood for an ethereal musical experience. “Petites frappes en enfer” creates a very eerie atmosphere with dreamy guitar work and a hypnotic pace. Things get a bit weirder with the Trip-hop infused “Timisoara”. This track reminds us of Ulver and their current experimental phase, but with some sweet guitar leads.

As a personal favorite “TechNoir” has a Post-Rock edge that creates a very cinematic feeling, similar of bands like Poland’s Lebowski. “Dans Tons Sommell” delivers some of the heaviest guitars in this track perfectly culminating a very effective build up. If you like the Trip Hop stuff, “Gym Tonikkk”, “Requiem”, “Le Grand Froid” will be some tracks to keep your eye out for.

After the very mellow “Dernier Hiver Sur Vega”, the album is brought to conclusion by the haunting “Abysses & Limbes”. In this track, the atmospheric elements are greatly enhanced by the awesome church-like chants that will send chills down your spine once you listen to them. Overall, “Persona Non Grata” is a very mature release that features so many elements perfectly blended together. Whether you are a fan of Post-Rock, Instrumental Rock, or Trip-Hop, this is one release you do not want to miss.

Release: July 23rd, 2012

Genre: Ambient / Instrumental Rock / Trip-Hop

Country: France