XCIII – Void (Album – My Kingdom Music)
Genre/Influences: Dark-Rock, Cinematic, Gothic.
Format: Digital, CD.
Background/Info: French artist Guillaume Beringer is already active for more than ten years under the XCIII moniker. He already released an impressive number of works and now joined hands for the very first time with Italian label My Kingdom Music.
Content: This album and the sound of XCIII is not easy to label but clearly sounds as an offspring between numerous influences. The work takes off in a Rock-Pop way and progressively moves throughout hypnotic guitar playing, short Cinematic passages, Gothic orientated music and Psychedelic inspiration. The work features several guest artists featuring vocalists.
+ + + : The album sounds diverse so in the end everyone will find a few pieces to its taste. I like the more Gothic-driven “Rosemary” featuring additional female vocals. Another attention grabber is “Lunchbox” which sounds dark and dreamy featuring male- and female vocals, subtle piano arrangements and a great finale with guitar. I also want to mention the instrumental “Tapeworm” which sounds a bit Psychedelic.
– – – : The work is missing a true apotheosis.
Conclusion: Hard to label but easy listening music.
Best songs: “Rosemary”, “Lunchbox”, “Tapeworm”
Rate: 6.
Artist: www.facebook.com/xciiispleen
Label: www.mykingdommusic.net / www.facebook.com/mykingdommusicofficial
Listen to “Void”:
About XCIII
XCIII is the solo project of French musician Guillaume Beringer, who plays all instruments and sings. The name is the Roman numeral for 93 and points to poem 93 of Charles Baudelaire’s “Les Fleurs du Mal”, “À une passante”. Beringer mixes avantgarde and prog-rock with post-rock and coldwave, and regularly brings in guest vocalists.
“Void” is the project’s first release for My Kingdom Music. The Italian label issued it on 14 January 2022 on digiCD and digital, with nine tracks. Beringer recorded and mixed the album at Forlorn Hope Studios and Steve Kitch mastered it. Aurélie Raidron of I Hear Drones supplied the cover artwork.
The guest list covers Maélise Vallez on additional vocals on four tracks, Giulia Filippi on additional vocals on one, Mathieu Devigne and Neemias Teixeira on additional piano, and Oisava on violin on the closing track.
Support Side-Line
More people read Side-Line than ever, and there is still no paywall and no advertising. Readers pay for it instead - from $5 a month.
Why we ask
Advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. Unlike many news organisations we have not put up a paywall, and we refuse to add annoying advertising, so we need to ask for your help. Side-Line’s independent journalism takes time, money and hard work to produce, and we do it to push the artists we like, who are equally fighting to survive.
Handled by PayPal.
I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.
