De Marbre – Feu de veines CD

“Feu de veines” is a debut full-length release by De Marbre, a French post-punk quartet based in Lyon. Released on March 31st, 2023, the group heavily promoted their debut with “New Moment,” an exceptional first and only single released via streaming services the same year. Perhaps the group relies upon the fundamentals of post-punk sound, but you’ll also notice how many other different but complementary music genres found their way into this sonic equation. Don’t be surprised if you stumble upon some of the finest properties borrowed from goth rock, darkadelic, darkwave, and coldwave, but also some other elements non-characteristic of post-punk music. De Marbre uses all these additional elements as more than necessary enhancements, accentuations, decorations, and other details to uplift their music on an entirely new level, while the band simultaneously remains loyal to the primary sonic direction. Therefore, their experimentations with different but complementary music genres resulted in a marvelous full-length album that will suit post-punk fans and beyond.

De Marbre tastefully combines all the mentioned music genres, and you’ll hear it from the initial to the closing notes. Their music embraces all the modern and retro techniques, making “Feu de veines” such a versatile material suitable for anyone. As soon as you press play, you’ll notice how guitars and synth reign supreme, providing a perfect backdrop for outstanding vocal performance. You’ll immediately stumble upon so many exceptional synths leads, themes, melodies, harmonies, sequences, chord progressions, and ambiances, which add more complexity to the whole album. On the other hand, guitars make this material even more interesting with the same dosages of arpeggiated and regular chord progressions, heavy riffs, magnificent melodies, and other virtuosities. Of course, a perfect combination of clean singing and aggressive shoutouts make things more interesting, and you’ll unquestionably notice how the vocal skillfully balances between low, mid, and high notes with all these vocal articulations.

This wouldn’t sound like a marvelous post-punk album without equally complex, vividly hearable, warm-sounding low-end notes. The basslines play a significant role in binding synths and guitars with drums but also offer more than necessary heaviness, depth, and clarity to the mix. You’ll also hear how exceptional drumming performance dictates groove and tempo with energetic, well-accentuated beats, breaks, fills, and other percussive acrobatics. The rhythm section shines with the same power as the remainder of the instrumentations, making this material a delightful display of melody and dynamics. Still, the melodic aspect of “Feu de veines” is De Marbre’s heaviest weapon in the arsenal. They’re capable of writing, composing, arranging, recording, and producing magnificent compositions where catchy melodies, themes, and leads burst with so many pleasant notes that immediately get into your ears. They’re dark, melancholic, ethereal, and mesmerizing, just like post-punk and goth rock music should sound. You should put De Marbre on your radar as soon as possible because “Feu de veines” simultaneously pays homage to the roots and shapeshifts the boundaries of the genre. You can get this post-punk masterpiece directly from the band via their Bandcamp page.