Irradiance – Dissidence (2015)

Freshly arrived from France, today we have the lively Irradiance and their latest release “Dissidence”. Playing an interesting combination of Progressive/Symphonic Metal with some jazzy and Rock influences, this outfit delivers ten brilliant songs that will keep you at the edge of your seat. For fans of Epica, Stream of Passion, and similar outfits, this release is very bombastic and engaging.

Opening with the lush “Children’s Game”, the band’s singer Audrey Dandeville, instantly comes center stage with her excellent operatic vocals. This opening song is quite catchy and structured in a way that grabs the attention of the listener. There are some unique elements that remind us of Diablo Swing Orchestra thrown into the mix that might catch some people off-guard, but we think they are super cool. Continuing strong, “The Soldier and the Child” allows Alexandra Vallet, the band’s violinist to change the course of an already excellent track.

“Theorists of the Void” shows the more melancholic side of the band with a dramatic opener and the surprising use of a male tenor voice to contrast Audrey’s talents. The jazzy parts of tracks like “Another day to Rebuild” give the band that extra edge to make them stand out from the linear approach bands take to the genre, and allows them to be remembered from the bunch. Our personal favorite is the very interesting and unique “All My Days”, which features beautiful vocal arrangements and the band’s very unique signature style.

For fans of something unique and different, the band makes their own pieces like “Forget-me-nots” with jazzy/lounge influences, elevating their appeal to listeners with such a unique view of the genre. Before you think that this album has no drums of guitars, Irradiance has a pretty solid core delivering tight drums and solid riffs to keep things heavy and fun, like the excellent “Her Cold Decision”, one of the most ‘heavy’ pieces in this release.

As the album comes to a close with the excellent “Wandering in Autumn” and the bombastic “Vain Bravery”, Irradiance manages to stand out from the rest thanks to their unique mixture of elements and solid musical core. There are obvious similarities from other bands, but “Dissidence” shows that the band has a few tricks up their sleeves to be unique and different. If you like energetic and bombastic Symphonic/Progressive metal with strong vocal leads, look no further and add this release to your collection.

Label: Self-Released

Release: December 2015

Genre: Progressive/ Symphonic Metal

Country: France