With ‘Dasein’, French Canadian neo-classNameical tech-death outfit First Fragment stand as a credit to the genre with their ability to prove that technical virtuosity does not have to come as the expense of melody or songcraft. Dancing around the need for musical conclusion and ferocious technical ability, First Fragment are far from sterile in the delivery of their love letter to the genre.

For those that were made aware of the band by their blistering 2010 EP entitled ‘The Afterthought Ecstasy’, 2016’s ‘Dasein’ must have felt like it would never arrive. With little from the band by way of updates during the album’s creation, its eventual release just proves that good things really do come to those that wait. Ram packed with more dynamism and notes than you are likely to hear this side of the next Beneath the Massacre record, First Fragment follow in the footsteps of genre giants such as Garod, Beyond Creation and Archspire in marrying dissonant and melodic riffing with blazing speed in order to achieve a sound that is sure to resonate with all listeners.

Forgoing an intro track, ‘Dasein’ wastes no time in letting the listener have holy hell with ‘Le Serment De Tsion’. Opening to an intense tapping duel between both guitars and even the bassist, the band is keen to demonstrate that none of the six-year writing period was misused. Composed with a well-established foundation in music theory each track features barrage after melodic barrage of diminished seventh arpeggios that stack on top of each other to form something akin to baroque contrapuntal compositions.

Yet, far from devolving into a garbled mess of multi string wankery, every note of every song is well placed and played in constant consideration of the next thousand notes that are to pass before each songs end. Masterfully crafting each musical phrase, First Fragment presents a bizarre situation to the listener whereby they do such a good job that the solos which feature on the album often end up being the least technical feature of ‘Dasein’. Yet for all the hyper-fast melodic bombardment that ‘Dasein’ throws out, the band rarely stay in one mode for extended periods as to not fatigue the listener. The intro to ‘L Entité’ is prime example. Before subjecting the listener to auditory onslaught, the band treat the listener to a short trip across the French Riviera complete with a flamenco accompaniment.

With an importance equal to the fantastic musicianship present on ‘Dasein’, we need to talk about the vocals. Conveyed with profound intensity it’s interesting that the gutturals, as ferocious as they may be, are not performed in English as you might expect. Instead, the band are true to themselves and deliver the vocals in their native French. Matching the personality of the instrumentals, David Alexandre Brault-Pilon’s vocal performance is delivered in such a way that even to an English audience, the album loses little of its overall impact. If anything, the all-French vocals actually work to add an extra level of intrigue to the release. Brault-Pilon also breathes life into the record with his injection of selective humor. Most prominent on ‘Le Serment De Tsion’ the song closes with such a disgusting guttural that Brault-Pilon actually gathers enough flehm during his performance for him to finish the track by spitting at the microphone.

For any fan of technical death metal this album is a must listen. Six years in the making, each melodic movement complete with its seamless transition into the next really stand testament to the level of care and consideration that went in the creation of ‘Dasein’. Featuring everything you love about the genre First Fragment’s neo-classNameical love letter to the genre is sure to knock you off your feet.

A Review by Matthew Young