Les Ekorches

Well, this is interesting. If you’ve been wondering what Voivod drummer Michel "Away” Langevin does during his time off from the Quebec prog metal legends here you have it. He plays in a band that sounds a lot like the near-forgotten B.A.R.F. And I’m not just saying that because they’re both from Quebec, sing primarily in French, have grating vocalists and play a rowdy mixture of punk rock and dumbed-down metal. Oh, wait, yes I am. So, that’s it in a nutshell. I dig the production because slightly Canadian demo as it is it also has a good bottom end and a satisfying drum mix (go figure). As always, Away rips it up behind the kit, here proving he’s just as adept at keeping a simple beat as he is doing anything otherworldly in his day job. All things told, Les Ekorches are more of a drunken good night at the local tavern than anything worth investing too much time or money in, and no doubt a great place for Away to blow off some 4/4 steam after a long week. Hilarious highlight: drunken, accordion-laden, pub-ready sing-along "Vesoul.”