Irradiant

One of France's most talented and trailblazing heavy metal bands, Nice's Scarve arrived at a true milestone with the eclectic black metal of their third album, 2004's Irradiant. In fact, if the album has one glaring fault, it's assimilating too many extreme metal devices into its many-colored spectrum, but since when is variety a bad thing? At least as long as the artist in question knows when to say "when," and, except for their blatant Meshuggah tribute number, "Asphyxiate" (with its off-kilter drum patterns, minimalist tonality, and the Swedes' own Fredrik Thordendal providing the solo), Scarve usually do, tempering their restless black metal style-hopping with just enough control to keep the songwriting in focus. The deadly fusion of Strapping Young Lad's restless creative spirit and Samael's industrial black metal clearly inspires initial offerings like "Mirthless Perspectives," "An Emptier Void," and the title track, all of which also bristle with unexpectedly musical guitar solos — a welcome source of dynamic contrast — and never boring exchanges between the band's versatile, dual lead vocalists. The awesome "Hyperconscience" rides a vertigo-inducing melody over its pounding drums, the surprisingly harmonic "The Perfect Disaster" is both complex and accessible, and after indulging a hyperactive burst with the succinct "Molten Scars" (featuring Defleshed's Gustaf Jorde), Scarve stretch their legs on two very impressive and more extensive, prog metal excursions to wrap things up. All of which makes Irradiant an incredibly mature and visionary collection of songs that open-minded metal heads are sure to enjoy.