Outcast have been around for almost 14 years now, but not much has been heard about this five-piece outside their native France since then. Something that will soon change as 2012 is set to be a big year for the Parisian fellows with the signing to a new label Listenable Records and the release of their storming third album “Awaken the Reason”, which is already making some significant waves in the metal scene.

Recently we caught up with guitarist Jean-François Di Rienzo to know more about the band’s upcoming third album and their future plans.

Congrats on releasing such a strong record as “Awaken the Reason”. I take it you’re proud with the way it came out right?

“Yes, indeed, signing a deal with Listenable Records is such an awesome thing for a band like us, those guys are super professionals and I think that deal is going to bring the band to the next level.”

I learned that you worked on this album without a record deal, and once it was finished you’ve sent it to some record labels and try to get some offers. Why did you decide to do such move instead of securing a contract first?

“There’re two reasons for that move: firstly, in France it’s really difficult to get a deal before having a strong fanbase or a finished and strong album, the second and probably the main reason is that we wanted to keep an entire control on the writing and recording process without any kind of pressure from a label who would have told us a release date before the album is finished. We really wanted the album to sound exactly as we wanted it to sound.”

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Somewhere between Meshuggah-styled assaults and Devin Townsend’s symphonic elegance, you'll find France’s Outcast.

Their third full-length album “Awaken the Reason” is as outrageously chaotic as it is delightfully mesmerising and sees the French quintet manipulating a wide range influences with tremendous grace and technical aplomb. The chaotic, but equally delightful “Spin Angular Momenta” just might be the most faithful example of their well-balanced and intriguing sound. Starting with frenzied bursts of technical brilliance that venture on Meshuggah territory, highlighted by a superb and exceptional enthralling guitar solo, then towards the end the guitars sway into a melodic and alluring approach coupled with some angelic female vocals that reminds the wonderful performance of Anneke van Giersbergen on records like “Addicted”. Textures is also a good reference point, which makes perfect sense considering it was guitarist Jochem Jacobs that mixed this record at SplitSecond Sound Studio.

Employing poly-rhythmic, crunching guitar riffs, complicated and thundering drum patterns, furious grunts, dazzling ambiences and ravishing melodies, “Awaken the Reason” has it all for anyone longing for experimental, extreme and progressive metal.

Some call this Djent, others Prog-Metal, but it doesn’t matter the classification you want to dump on it because there’s no denying that “Awaken the Reason” is one of the best records you’ll likely hear in 2012. (8.2/10)

David Alexandre

Band info: www.outcast.fr

Label info: www.listenable.net

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