It seems like there is an unending flow of awesome, artsy, post-rock influenced heavy bands coming out of France lately. Cortez, Membrane, Time To Burn, Year

Of No Light....all bands that lift the grandiose instrumental post-rock moves of Temporary Residence/Constellation/Kranky and apply them to BONE CRUSHING

heaviness in a way that is similiar in spirit to the likes of Isis, Cult Of Luna, and other Neurosis-influenced post-metal outfits, but these French bands

always end up heading off into an artier, more lyrical realm with their albums. Much of this new French heaviness is circling the always-excellent Radar

Swarm label, who just released this new disc from Gantz. Laq Chambre Des Morts is beautifully heavy post-rock influenced indie/metal that opens with

blissed-out wash of Troum-style guitar drones and spacey chords that then meanders into delicate math rock territory. It's not until the second song that

crushing, ominous-sounding dirges begin to appear out of Gantz's long and stretched out instrumentals, and the rest of the album works with this contrast of

heavy, melodic dirge and mathy post-rock to great effect. Imagine a mix of pleading mid-90's French emo, Isis, Botch, From Monument To Masses, Aereogramme,

and Envy, and you'll have an idea of what they are doing on this album. Really majestic, frantic stuff, the sort of crushingly heavy indie rock/sludge action

that we completely worship around here. Packaged in a terrific gatefold digipack with thick lyric booklet.