KermesZ à l’Est – Octophilia CD

It’s time to start this weekend with some fresh music from Belgium. I wasn’t familiar with this unique orchestra until now, so their latest full-length album is my introduction to their luxurious music. Everything is unique about KermesZ à l’Est, a Belgian octet that combines a comprehensive collection of music genres to illustrate such incredible sonic imagery. Since 2010, they unleashed three self-titled EPs, a single called Kazapsko, another extended play RDS-202, and a split 12″ with La Jungle. It’s needless to say that all these recordings sound divine if you’re into experimentations like these, so you should check out their discography as soon as possible.

Therefore, Octophilia is their debut full-length album released as digipack CD. KermesZ à l’Est wisely separated this material into segments. You’ll notice two renditions of Azerian Dub or four parts of Trilock, but also some standalone compositions like Kakoschizm, Lullysion, and Pony Wurts. Each number carries a unique ambiance achieved by assembling only the finest properties of many musical directions, perfectly combined and performed to satisfy even the pickiest admirers of fine, artsy, ethno-punk sound. KermesZ à l’Est incorporated complementary styles like Balkan ethno, world music, and jazz, with much heavier music genres like math rock, post-rock, metal, punk rock, noise rock, etc. Of course, with a mindblowing collection like this one, you can expect a collision of cleverly sorted scales, leads, themes, melodies, harmonies, chord progressions, and riffs, where the ridiculously cheerful rhythmic structures and various time signatures dictate the tempo.

Octophilia sounds progressive, detailed, and complex from scratch to finish. There’s no doubt that many listeners will find pure joy in this material, while others will avoid it without hesitation because they can’t appreciate the time and effort KermesZ à l’Est put into this release. Anyone even remotely into writing, composing, and producing music knows that assembling music pieces for an octet isn’t an easy task, and it probably took a lot of time until they constructed the entire record. You’ll appreciate how all the brass, string, and percussive instruments work harmoniously from beginning to end if you’re a true fan of ethno, world music, jazz, math rock, and post-rock music. This debut showcases that KermesZ à l’Est aren’t joking around with their music, and they’re proving that ethno and world music could still sound exciting with a little more effort put into writing and composing. Octophilia is available directly from the band, so head to their official website or Bandcamp page for more information about ordering.