Review: “Distant Planets” by Breeding Chaos

Born of the bond between two old friends who started composing music and mixing ideas using Guitar Pro as they rekindled a writing partnership that had already stood for three years, Breeding Chaos arrived on the French Death Metal scene in 2020. Comprising former Crimson Garden pairing Jérôme “Jé” Lhuillier (ex-Silencer) on lead guitars and Bruno “Bru” Gregorutti (ex-Arthrosis, ex-Nothingness) on guitars and vocals who were later joined by Malo Pilloix (ex-Izo Nomia, ex-Soupir Astral) on bass and Lucas Dario (Nystagmus) on drums in 2022 the band issued their first shot in anger in “Diffraction Matters” in March 2023. Self describing their sound as “Melodic brutality that smells upcoming Death“ their claim a sound that falls between Melodic and Death Metal as their own burying their flag in Marseille and calling it their territory. A plethora of shows later and a debut album rich in science fiction horror themes finds its way to us via Great Dane Records, a subsidiary of Season Of Mist…

Delicate, dark and circling the drain of being cinematic, atmospheric instrumental opening cut “Distant Planets” is in many ways the perfect palate cleanser for the mind. Opening a portal to another realm of existence in which all manor of horrors await, it’s very much the title sequence of this tale but for all those qualities what it doesn’t do is prepare you for opening cut proper “Magnetic Interactions“. Seemingly inspired by the Gothenburg sound of Melodic Death Metal as well as bands like Fear Factory, Gojira and “Roots” era Sepultura, this one stomps like a beast from a land that time forgot. Death growled vocals and melodic leads are counter balanced by an almost industrially tinged drum sound and brutal rhythms. Its something of a system shock that takes a couple of spins to get into which is kind of ironic because “Among The Gods” would actually be a better fit to follow the introduction piece with it’s smoother start before the chaos begins. Roots in old school Death Metal shine through as this one is laced with machine gun fire like burst patterns of percussive battery and staccato riff breaks that play on menacing fleeting silences. A tapped solo in the final third is masterfully done, a rich addition to a brutal track before whispers usher in the slick riffs of “Accretion Rate“. Some almost tribal fills are a nice touch during what is the metaphorical equivalent to being pounded to death by soap bars in socks in a prison riot. Perhaps its not that harsh because the band play within the confines of their sound rather than pouring fuel on the fire and increasing the intensity but it is one that is at the heavier end of their spectrum. Instrumental “Pillars Of Creation” offers some respite with what sounds like Jamaican steel drums to brighten the mood. A quirky and yet fun addition, it keeps you on your toes in left field fashion…

A return to the death growls and riffs with “Gamma Afterglow” finds Breeding Chaos in their element, playing with verve and gusto as they burn through sequences of subtle time signature changes. Pilloix bass lines are allowed to rise to the forefront in a couple of places while the guitars play with melody, the suggestion that they may at some point move into Progressive Death Metal evident for all to hear. Dirge laden riffs and an almost swampy stomping style given  “Birth Of The Abyss” an entirely different sound with roots in Sludge Metal, the churning chugging guitars making way for yet more tribal drum fills in the mid section. One of those cuts that is something of a guilty pleasure, it has that headbang ability without quite reaching the full on neck snap that you might hope for. That comes with the menacing and sinister “Abysmal Sorrow“, one that you can hear the band will squeeze another five percent more energy out of when they play it live. Galloping drums and a few riffs with a Thrash orientation add to the melting pot but its the leads which real give this one the killer instinct, longer instrumental patterns and a sparely used vocals ensuring that the musicians have plenty of opportunity to inflict their damage. Spoken words turn into a savage bite as “Stone Cross” rises from the black depths, majestic leads once again becoming the star of a bleak showing. Pushing their boundaries in terms of atmosphere building this one works well although it purposefully never reaches a crescendo, instead fading into the night to keep you on the edge of your seat with the death growled vocals unyielding. Bookending this collection “Bitter Closer” is another glorious instrumental, this time on the cinematic side with warm orchestration as the credits roll and like any low budget science fiction horror story, this one really does leave you wondering what you have just witnessed [7.5/10]

Track Listing

1. Distant Planets (Instrumental)
2. Magnetic Interactions
3. Among The Gods
4. Accretion Rate
5. Pillars Of Creation (Instrumental)
6. Gamma Afterglow
7. Birth Of The Abyss
8. Abysmal Sorrow
9. Stone Cross
10. Bitter Closer (Instrumental)

“Distant Planets” by Breeding Chaos is out 13th September 2024 via  Great Dane Records / Season Of Mist and is available over at bandcamp