This album, The Drop Crisis, is the debut release from a quartet of instrumental prog-rockers hailing from Le Mans, France. Could Seed have been around since 2021, having created an intriguing debut EP at that time, Mirage. On the evidence of this new work, the band effortlessly trash limitations of genre and despite being totally instrumental, you’re hooked from start to finish.
The album flows beautifully, it instantly weaves its atmospheric web around you with a clean, crisp production that makes the most of four quality musicians. Together, they lay down some sumptuous arrangements, gelling perfectly to create sometimes delicate and ambient, sometimes fairly heavy bordering on stoner, always immersive and captivating. For me there’s shades of Dawnwalker, Caspian, Elder….a rich mix of moods that won me over completely – not easy for an instrumental band!
Magloire Thomas – Bass
Even Dimitri – Guitar
Jupin Jordan – Guitar
Chéron Elie – Drums
Seven tracks in this song-set, opening with Another Step Into The Light, featuring fascinating percussion underscoring twin runs of melodic guitar. I’m sure there’s some synths in here as well to create a spacy feel before some nicely fuzzed riffs get briefly launched without drowning the mood. We then briefly enter a dream sequence before revisiting the post-rock work-out. An impressive start.
Pan Pan is lighter in mood, the notes flowing like water – and there’s a theme of “water movement” throughout this record. Again a slightly sparse production, allowing the fluid notes to hang and shimmer. Even when the riff comes in later on, its softly immersive rather than battering. Le Champs Des Phareoles continues in this echoing, cavernous vein, the mix effortlessly giving each instrument space to be felt as well as heard. A tinkling guitar sound continues the watery theme, even through the riffs – I’m imagining a waterfall in full spate here, regardless of what the title implies (the field of lighthouses, so the aqueous connection remains intac, presumably the inexorable tide crashing against the coast…)
Vent Solaire is another dreamy, spacey psych-rock number, the sense of floating (whether in space or water) is strong. Softly pastoral guitar lines are maybe the lull before the impending storm, a sense of calm pervading throughout. Schwarzwald follows the same pattern, a gentle introduction morphing into a melodic, restrained metal section, never jarring, always sonorous. This one builds and builds, very satisfyingly beefy towards the end – whether this is wind or water inspired, the effect is the same.
The title track Drop Crisis is actually a very brief (just over a minute) stream of guitar-led sound – to me it conveys what a message from another world might sound like? And then finally we have Sagarmatha, which unusually for this album is full-on prog-metal right from the start. Not for long though, we’re ushered in to a soothing field of dreams, washing over us and lulling us (me, anyway!) before the heaviness returns – again very like Dreamwalker in that sense of light /heavy/light/heavy. And that, abruptly, is it!
From a murmuring stream of water to the building storm, Could Seed’s music is a torrent carrying rhythm and texture, conjuring sweeping soundscapes. In short, this is an album that balances intensity with deep reflection, and it’s sure to resonate with fans of progressive, genre-blurring music. It’s packed with lush soundscapes and intricate melodies that you will lose yourself in, why not try it and see!
