Igorrr is, truly, a unique project: how many bands out there can claim to seamlessly blend death metal, traditional world music, electronica, choral chanting, and whatever else strikes Gautier Serre’s fancy that evening? The six month wait between the announcement of the group’s new album and its eventual release has been nothing sort of torturous for fans across the globe— if Igorrr appeals to you, there’s just no replacement for the real deal. Now that it’s finally here, ‘Amen’ practically speaks for itself: Serre’s latest work puts all his previous output to shame.

For any listeners unaccustomed to Igorrr’s bizarre antics, ‘Amen’ is the perfect jumping on point: though the record is far from accessible, it may be Serre’s least frenetic to date. Compared to 2020’s ‘Spirituality and Distortion,’ which spent much of its runtime experimenting with unconventional electronic elements, its follow-up feels far more cohesive. The twelve tracks that make up ‘Amen’ work together quite seamlessly, lending the album an ebb and flow that we’ve not heard before— honestly, this may be the first time that an Igorrr release has succeeded front-to-back. Moments like the acoustic passages on ‘Limbo’ and the atmospheric interlude ‘Étude n°120’ point to a record that tells an evolving musical story: at long last, Serre and company have chosen to direct their boundless creativity into something a little more focused and structured. The result is an album that truly takes full advantage of the limitless possibilities at the core of Igorrr’s appeal.

The bold electronic twists that previously dominated Serre’s work have been massively stripped back this time around— if anything, ‘Amen’ cuts closer to straight up metal than any record before it. Opener ‘Daemoni’ is absolutely electrifying, building from an ominous collection of synth rhythms and throat singing into one of the most vicious climaxes you’ll find outside the bedroom: it’s like a taster course for the massive collection of sounds explored across the album, demonstrating how effectively Serre can create a mix of atmosphere and destructive chaos. The following ‘Headbutt’ only piles on the brutality, throwing everything from grizzled harsh vocals to grandiose piano runs at the wall— the track is overflowing with ideas, yet somehow comes together under the unifying banner that is Igorrr. It should go without saying that a track like ‘Infestis’ is done all kinds of justice: Serre’s production is almost without peer, bouncing between dominating crescendos and warm, cautious soundscapes flawlessly.

What really makes those crushing death metal sections pop— aside from the monstrous Le Bail growls, bulldozing riffs and barbaric guitar tones, of course— is the way that ‘Amen’ builds to its grandest moments: gone is the stop-start pacing of ‘Spirituality and Distortion,’ replaced with a number of well-placed mood pieces and atmospheric breathers. ‘Ancient Sun’ sounds completely unlike anything Igorrr have penned before, winding its way through a psychedelic collection of trip-hop beats, warbling operatic vocals from Alexandre and shifting chord progressions: where a passage this steady and smooth would’ve been unthinkable a couple years ago, the cut fits perfectly into ‘Amen.’ Closer ‘Silence’ pushes those ideas even further though, quickly proving itself to be one of the most ambitious (and impressive) pieces in Igorrr’s entire catalogue— the way the song’s melancholic piano and string melodies crash against the harsh industrial drums is nothing short of utter genius. ‘Amen’ takes the time to evolve across its tracklist, winding down into a more meditative mood: somehow, the band pull it off without a hitch.

Now, let us put fans at ease by assuring them that Igorrr, as a project, is far from losing its trademark weirdness: though the new album does shy away from the utter buffoonery of 2010’s ‘Nostril,’ it’s certainly not lacking in the ‘odd and unexpected’ department. Single ‘Blastbeat Falafel’ is an undeniable crowd-favourite in the making, throwing everything from violins and trumpets to a comically timed cowbell into the mix— the track really does feel like a sequel to much-beloved hit ‘Camel Dancefloor,’ centring itself around a similarly infectious hook. Serre continues to use Igorrr as an excuse to exercise his wildest impulses, as demonstrated by the absurdity of twelve-second grind track ‘2020:’ hell, the guy plays the piano with an excavator on ‘Headbutt,’ proving once and for all that ‘Amen’ is just about as weird and wonderful as they come.

It’s in other places that that experimentation begins to catch up with the record though— towards the middle of the tracklist, ‘Amen’ lets its mask of confidence slip, if only a little. Lead single ‘ADHD’ is a return to the breakcore of albums past, plowing its way through atonal electronic beats and some wild percussive bursts before jumping back into some bombastic orchestral madness— both elements are promising, though neither has the room to stretch its legs when the two are pushed up against one another so awkwardly. Much the same could be said of ‘Mustard Mucous,’ which houses a number of strong riffs at its core but never really feels like it finds its footing— the guitar work of Scott Ian should be the selling point, but it’s ultimately the hilarious use of a cheap recorder that steals the show. ‘Amen’ puts a hell of a lot of work into sanding off Igorrr’s rough edges: it’s so, so close to shedding them entirely.

As unthinkable as it might seem, we must concede that the long-awaited follow-up to ‘Spirituality and Distortion’ is genuinely stupendous— the record always feels on the edge of falling into absurdity, keeping us hooked from the opening barrages of ‘Daemoni’ to the final swells of ‘Silence.’ The decision to uplift Igorrr from a Gautier Serre solo act to a fully-fledged band has payed off in spades, delivering not just the project’s usual chaos, but something far more crafted and thoughtful. ‘Amen’ now stands as the benchmark, against which all future Igorrr albums will be measured: it’s completely bonkers, and utterly brilliant.