The Prestige
Isthmos
Banshies
I don’t know what they’ve been bottling with the evian but whatever it is, it has spurred Parisian quartet The Prestige to create an album of epic proportions. Fully grasping the freedom afforded by post-hardcore, their latest album Isthmos is an expansive affair which paints its sound from a wide palette. It’s the soundtrack to inner turmoil made whole and three-dimensional, much of this album’s power comes from vocalist Alex Diaz who sings from the deepest reaches of his soul, delivering lyrics (both in English and his native French) that are as raw as the music and cut to the quick of human existence. The emotion that bleeds from songs such as ‘The Ascend’ is the kind that comes from a psyche that’s been ripped open with nerve endings raw and exposed to the world. It means that Isthmos is a heavy affair and one that drags you down as if you are caught in quicksand. And just like being in a quagmire, the more you try to resist this album’s dark pull, the harder it will suck you in. The result are eight songs which guide the listener through a kind of primal scream therapy, meaning you’ll feel drained at its conclusion, but strangely cleansed.
https://www.facebook.com/wearetheprestige
Review by Peter Dennis.