Vital Breath
Duality M & S Music
Vital Breath hail from France and have released eleven tracks of catchy, melodic hard rock that should appeal not just to Hard Rock / Metal fans, but the wider audience of music fans in the world. This band mix pop with a metallic groove and have really come up trumps.
Formed in 2011 and featuring very skilled and proficient members in their ranks, the band is made up of a who’s who from the Rock / Metal and Pop world with Jérôme Ponsolle (lead singer and guitar), Francois Brisk (drums), Virus IV, Dyslesia, Sylvain De Nicola (guitar), Blackness, Dyslesia, Kemet, Christophe Babin (bass guitar), Headline, Eradicate, Virus IV, Rudy Robert.
Throw all the bands collective knowledge into the mix and you are presented with Vital Breath!
Opening with the instantly captivating and likeable 'Modern Messiah', the band take you through a journey of swirling guitars and then superb vocals from Jerome Ponsolle, as you are drawn you into the world of Frances new Messiah in melodic rock music!
Chugging guitars emanate and 'Bad School' has you tapping your feet and you can clearly see Ponselle’s pop inspired background mix well with the heavy guitars. 'Stand Alone' is juicer and kind of a bit Alice In Chains influenced, on this track Sylvain De Nicola lets loose on the guitars and gets into your head and stays there, in fact it’s one of my favorites tracks on here, which is difficult choice as I like all of the songs on this album.
'It’s Just a Dream' is a slower number, intense and absorbing, where the vocalist tests his vocal chords to the max, turn this up loud as you can and let Francois Brisk's drums thump into your neighborhood! Make sure you keep this album up to the max as the sing along 'The Best Ship Ever' sails into view, it’s cracking stuff. 'Save My Soul' is one of the strongest tunes on here it kicks and bashes its way into your soul! It really does pick you up and spins you round and batters and bruises your mind! It’s excellent, even a little bit of hardcore influence thrown in.
Christophe Babin's bass and a deep and grungy groove is the order of the day on “A Place For You” and is a track the late lamented Layne Staley would have been proud of and really would not have been out of place on an Alice of Chains album. The same can be said for 'Circus' as you are taken to the show, this is a really well worked, chuggy track. Penultimate track 'The Same Sun' has some fire branded guitarmanship.
Last track is the longest on here, 'Eternity' is a chilled out number, then halfway speeds up a bit and should be out there in the music charts of the world.
Well to sum up 'Duality' it is an excellent debut from these French rockers. Having recently seen Vital Breath at the PPM Festival in Belgium, I can attest to their electrifying live performance and would recommend everyone to check out this band and grab a hold of this album, it’s rocking and popping!
Review by: Seb Di Gatto
Tracklisting:
1. Modern Messiah
2. Bad School
3. Stand Alone
4. It's Just A Dream
5. The Best Ship Ever
6. Save My Soul
7. A Place For You
8. Circus
9. Be Myself
10. The Same Sun
11. Eternity