Wile it’s technically released in 2 days (09/19/2025), I received my pre-ordered Amen CD late yesterday. Just finished listening to it uninterrupted, with zero distractions.
One of those milestones that very few artists can and will ever achieve. It pushes the boundaries of so many genres, from baroque, classical, oriental, world music, electro, breakcore, metal, doom, avant-garde, industrial, experimental, etc., etc.; it makes the most incongruous instruments work together beautifully so that the whole work is meaningful and coherent.
This album is like a nightmarish movie that creates the pictures in your head. I’m not going to spoil it. Let’s just say that I REALLY recommend listening to it in one go, preferably laying down and letting yourself be immersed in Gautier’s latest work. It is very uneasy at times, fragile and beautiful at other times; and sometimes hilarious, to relieve some tension while drifting between darkness and light (in ways only Gautier can be).
Note that the CD booklet (and most probably the vinyl as well - I am waiting for the boxset to arrive, hoping that it will ship from the EU…) has short explanations from Gautier that relate to each track. I found them to be a great added bonus, in that it’s a lovely touch to have bits of the artist’s vision to enhance the listening time without telling you too much.
I’m not going to go into detail about Igorrr here today. I think it’s fair to say that most people on this forum will know Gautier Serre’s work to a certain extent and that he’s been an incredible music pioneer since the 2000’s. For those who don’t know Igorrr, you’re in for a treat! Go listen to the albums now! (I recommend listening to them in order to see the progression)
I think I found one of his EPs online on a russian music sharing site sometime in 2008 (does that timeline check out?). I really dug his work back then and it’s kind of crazy to see just how far he has come. I was listening to weird shit like Mothboy, Blaerg and Raoul Sinier around that time, and it’s kind of weird to think that the most eccentric of all of those actually ended up being quite popular. I tend to think those who work the hardest reap the most benefits, and that seems to be the case for Igorrr.
While I’m not a fan of his recent work at all, I think he continues to innovate and inspire. I certainly appreciate what he does, even if I never listen to another one of his tracks. As I’ve said before, I’d be glad if he inspires a new wave of industrial / metal / breakcore jams, since the world seems to have largely forgotten about dark and aggressive music that isn’t just lazily soaked in distortion. I’m hoping Igorrr’s sense of rhythm and ‘the silence between the notes’ starts rubbing off on future generations of electronic artists so that it doesn’t all just turn into however the fuck you’re supposed to spell ‘sewer slut’. Read this last section in the voice of Hank Hill for the appropriate effect.
Cool thread, too! I’d love to see what everyone else thinks about him
For some reason, while I was aware of Igorrr, for the longest time he was on my “need to check this guy’s music” list and I kept forgetting. Problem is, I like too many different styles and artists, so it’s hard to keep track sometimes.
What really (finally!) reeled me in is that his music just clicked with me on so many levels… It is worth noting that I’m not big on a lot of breakcore artists, because they just sound like an orgy of semi-random accelerated sounds that run with their legs sealed in concrete (meaning: they go nowhere fast). But Igorrr has always, er, made sense to me.
Beautifully said!
BTW, have you ever listened to Whourkr? I didn’t know that existed until recently. That project’s origin is very close to that of Igorrr’s. When you listen to it, it appears way less surprising that the use of guitars has become more prominent on Igorrr’s albums over the years.
The production is insanely clean, especially considering there’s a ton of real instruments, field recordings, chopped layers, vocals/choirs, etc. I think it’s testament to the level of work that goes into each song.
Honestly, I’m a bit disappointed with this album. They seem to have doubled down on the black metal, which was always my least favorite aspect. I feel like it lacks the variety and playfulness the last few albums had, although some of the videos still have a dry sense of humor.
Fair enough - not everybody’s going to like the big metal guitars.
This album is darker on purpose - by his own admission, that is what Gautier has been drawn to explore the last few years during the creative process. Understandably so, considering this decade we live in…
I do love the fact that it’s also “nastier”, feels like a fully immersive narrative, as opposed to a collection of songs. Don’t get me wrong, I obviously love all Igorrr’s previous albums; just mentioning that none of the ones released before has felt like it was meant to be a journey; it’s almost a concept album of good vs evil, and evil is winning.
Showed the new album to my friend last night, and she enjoyed it. She likes metal a bit more than I do, so I’m glad I could show her an album she liked. She’s heard their other stuff but didn’t know a new album was out.
