The second album by the French band BLEAKNESS is titled “Life at a Standstill“, which means living in a standstill or a standstill of life.
Of course, the thought quickly arises that the 10,000th band is processing their experiences and feelings from the Corona lockdowns.
The Corona lockdowns are certainly something the band can draw from, but this is not primarily about that time.
BLEAKNESS from Lyon play a sound that can be categorized as Dark-Punk. A category that is rarely tapped into. When it gets dark, it’s often Metal, Hardcore, or Crust, but dark punk rock... that’s not so common.
Why is that, actually? I wonder when I listen to the trio.
BLEAKNESS incorporates many musical influences into their sound. There’s the driving sound of the 80s and 90s. Somewhere between the sound of I WALK THE LINE, who unfortunately no longer exist, heavy goth rock, driving punk rock, wave-punk (without keyboards), and here and there a pinch of Hardcore or Crust can be heard. However, the style is predominantly rooted in punk rock, which pushes forward massively.
Musically, all songs are consistently of high quality, especially the demanding yet catchy drumming stands out.
The vocals by guitarist Nicolas Bazire are dark, powerful, raw... sometimes singing in despair, sometimes screaming in anger, but always strong and full of impact.
The recording does the rest, it is perfect for the band's sound and gives the songs weight, depth, and power.
“Life at a Standstill“ is a powerful, strong album that is both danceable and allows you to lose yourself in the songs. There is a lot of passion in it, you can feel that, and that makes this album so good.
Only two points of criticism should be noted.
The lyrics in the digipack are printed so small that even with 100% vision I need glasses.
Releasing a dark punk rock album in the summer is not quite fitting. A lot of impact is lost. As Die Ärzte already sang, “I need the dark, light is not made for me.” As if they had “Life at a Standstill“ by BLEAKNESS in mind with that line.
