2006 Lion Music

In this day and age, the thing that has given bands such as Lacuna Coil or Lullacry the benefit of the doubt for dominance, is the hype. And unfortunately that hype does not tend to match the quality of the music, as these bands are pushed in more commercial and experimental directions (in an attempt to make them somewhat mainstream), which of course does not allow the band to grow at their own pace or simply be themselves.

Luckily that is not the case with Hauteville, for which they are totally driven by the musical force from within, that ponders upon the lines of bands like Stride, Age of Nemesis, Porcupine Tree, and Stream of Passion; kind of putting an experimental approach with the technical & song oriented mantra for melodies. It is apparent with the hooks provided along with the dark vibe on Relief Data Incomplete is expounded with tracks such as the trippy metal of “Monster (the Race),” the emotional & cinematic “Immaculate Eyes,” the sophisticated progressive metal of “There Be Dragons,” and the experimental, but yet anthem-oriented AOR of “Jaywalker;” for which these tracks make the record unique.

Vocally, Lydie Gosselin has an excellent rock voice, similar to Robin Beck and Pat Benetar, while the musicianship as a whole is tight and riff/groove oriented, without the need to go into some tangent for complete jam sessions and so on. Hauteville are truly a band that comes forth with power and musical gusto to stand out, no hype needed, the music just speaks for itself.

Added: July 4th 2006
Reviewer: Tommy Hash