Sungrave presents debut album Afterglow!

Let’s put baggy pants back on shall we? That's pretty much the overriding feeling when listening to Sungrave and their debut album. Hailing from Lille (France), this quartet unleashes an uncompromising brand of alternative metal on Afterglow. Their torrential power clashes with a deeply felt emotion, through compositions that are both technically accomplished and punctuated by catchy moments. This is the passion of this newcomer to the French scene, a true student of the key sonic movements of the 90s and 2000s, but one who brings a thoroughly modern flavor to it.

The four members of Sungrave are no beginners, having already graced numerous stages in France and around the world with various bands from the Lille rock scene: Holispark, EFYX, Bare Teeth, Overeden, and Khaarma. The project originated with guitarist and composer Pierre Podsiadlo, influenced by the post-hardcore vibes of bands like Thrice and Quicksand. After accumulating enough material, he contacted a former bandmate, bassist Lionel Bigois, and invited drummer Roch Deroubaix, frequently encountered on common gigs, to join the adventure. The first crafts a dynamic and prominent bass sound, offering more than just a rhythmic foundation. The latter delivers a powerful, lumberjack-like drumming style that doesn't neglect technical skill.

In short, a tight rhythm section to support Pierre's sonic baggage: weightless riffs, majestic melodies, and ethereal atmospheres. Finding THE singer wasn't so easy, as numerous auditions took place before they found the rare gem, whose style blends rock clarity with grunge ferocity. This is precisely Emilien Cornet's strength, whose voice demonstrates equal ease in expressing itself lyrically as in revealing a gravelly, even raw, timbre. What's also impressive is this ability to position himself on the fine line between the two registers, thus completing the Sungrave sound. It's as if each musician brings a bit of their personality to each ingredient of this mix.

Although, to sum it up, Pierre doesn't mince words:

With Sungrave, we mainly tried to synthesize what we liked. We didn't try to follow any trend or fad. The guiding principle has always been to find the right balance between moments of power, a bit of heaviness, but always maintaining melody. We didn't want to fall into the trap of being "too heavy," hence the inclusion of little guitar leads to harmonize while letting the bass handle the rhythm. We also allow ourselves to add subtle production elements, a piano or a synth here, some pads there. That's always been our common thread.

Despite being a debut album bearing the heavy responsibility of introducing Sungrave, Afterglow's approach is no less ambitious. Ten tracks form a pure epic at the crossroads of alt metal, heavy rock, grunge, and post-hardcore, capable of surprising the listener with each listen. Indeed, one can detect a structure that, whether intentionally or not, borders on prog. Simply let yourself drift between its effective grooves, atmospheric passages, and up-tempo scorchers. Throughout, however, a genuine emotional release manifests itself. This owes much to Emilien's performance, constantly conveying an impression of contained rage, punctuated by bursts of energy. This release mirrors the themes explored in the lyrics, written collectively.

Artwork : Pierre Podsiadlo and Sylvain Vanslambrouck

Stream / Buy / Download the album on Bandcamp

Pierre explains:

There's a kind of duality in the themes addressed. Some tracks are very introspective and personal. These songs evoke the evolution of life, the questions we ask ourselves, the neuroses that can affect us. We wanted to maintain this metaphorical quality in the way we tell the story, and not make it explicit, not delve into the facts. For example, "The Mirror" revolves around no longer recognizing oneself, "The Boundaries of Change" depicts a quest for personal change, limited by our deepest nature and the childhood conditioning that confines us, and "Until The Crash" alludes to the prospect of our own end. Other tracks offer an observation, a more global overview, but always through analogy. "Quicksands" is an image of the current climate emergency, while "Prayers" evokes, among other things, the war in Palestine. These are questions about the future of humanity. The message can be fatalistic, but there's always a glimmer of hope somewhere. And that's also, in a way, the message behind the album's title.

With Afterglow, Sungrave throws open the doors to a universe that's definitely worth discovering. Only way to get there: time capsule. Let's go for a solid revival of the music that thrilled the elders of the alternative scene!

Line-up :

Emilien Cornet (vocals)

Pierre Podsiadlo (guitars/backing vocals)

Lionel Bigois (bass)

Roch Deroubaix (drums)

Recorded by Olivier t'Servrancx at Boss Hog Studio (Ham-en-Artois)

Mixed and mastered by Olivier t'Servrancx at studio Electrik Box (Lille)

Mastered by Pierre Wagner

Artwork : Pierre Podsiadlo and Sylvain Vanslambrouck

Photos : Elodie Delannoy and Laurent Iwasiuta

Sungrave:

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Thank you very much Vous Connaissez ? // PR by Clément Duboscq

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Photo by © Elodie Delannoy and Laurent Iwasiuta