Dernière Volonté - Les Blessures de l'Ombre

Band/artist - Dernière Volonté
Genre(s) - Martial industrial, military pop
Origin - France
Album - Les Blessures de l'Ombre
Year of release - 2003

Les Blessures de l'Ombre is an anomaly in my collection, and a hell of a tough release to review. Applying influences from marching music not to ambient or industrial but to much more melodic pop structures has led DV main man Geoffroy to the creation of what may well be the first ever military pop album. Altogether it's a bit new-waveish in sound, I would guess: heavy on the synths, old-school production, but using darker melodies and backed by the snare drum rolls commonly associated with army parades. Incredibly, the combination works. Dernière Volonté has delivered a ground-breaking album that makes a seemingly awkward, confusing mix of styles a pleasure to listen to. On Le Poison, Les Blessures de l'Ombre and Le Foudre et le Tonnere, the old martial spirit shines through most clearly but the song that got me hooked was the haunting Vienna.

1. Ouverture (Opening)
   
2. Le poison
3. Vienna
4. Les orages du crime (The storms of crime)
   
5. Les yeux fermés (The closed eyes)
   
6. La foudre et le tonnere (The lightning and the thunder)
   
7. Un dernier crépiscule (A last twilight)
   
8. Vers la lumière (Against the light)
   
9. La source
   
10. Ton visage de papier (Your paper face)
    
11. Les blessures de l'ombre (The wounds of the shadows)
    
12. Souvenirs de demain (Souvenirs of tomorrow)
    
13. Si... (If...)
    
14. Au revoir (Goodbye)
    

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