From their EPK, "French Progressive Extreme Metal act OROB is back with "Aube Noir," its first LP.  The story of Aube Noir starts where "Into the Room of Perpetual Echoes" ends. It takes the form of a one-hour long concept album, nine epic titles pushing further the progressive limits of the combo. It's a great fresco of hope and despair about nature, progress, and the stories we build to make sense of our existence." The album has nine songs.

"Spektraal" is the first. The rhythms are smooth and dark, and somewhat dissonant, while the vocals are harsh, but do not overtake the sound. The Progressive elements are light but still noticeable, especially in the odd sounds from the riffs, and the changing landscape along the way. "Astral" begins with clean vocals that transition to harsh vocals and the music is calm and eerie. The clouds that form in the rhythms are dark and mysterious, and swirling with activity, threatening to open up. "Breaking of the Bonds" is another tense, murky offering of odd chord progressions. The bass guitar chugs away under both clean and harsh vocals, and the tension is so thick, you can hardly see through it.

"Betula" is another slow grind, accentuating the chords which range from desolate to hopeful at times. Through it all, the connections remain loose. Just when you think you have settled on a central theme, something else strange comes out of the music. "The Wanderer" features a cold riff...the cold riff of hopelessness. The way the music moves reminds me of the wanderer never reaching his destination in life. He walks aimlessly and seemingly without purpose. But when you get close, you realize that this was his charge. The chords are an eerie combination of desolation and rage. "Noir" is a short, three-minute song, consisting mostly of ominous keyboards notes. I get the feeling that someone is close to figuring out the mysteries of the universe.

"Aube" is a more straightforward song with plenty of elements of rage and frigid nothingness. I say this because even though there is a varied palate of music, it doesn't feel like you really made any headway on your journey...for each answer, there are three more questions. "Ethereal" is exactly that...a dreamy and mysterious sound that stays above the clouds and appears all around you. You reach out to grab it, and it's not there. You trust your senses, especially your sight, and it defies them. The lengthy "The Great Fall" culminates the sound. Fittingly, it reminds you that there are no answers out there. Nothing makes sense, and the universe will remain the biggest mystery of them all.

This was a strangely pleasing album in many ways. In the Extreme Metal scene, and especially the Progressive side, French bands are one of the stronger countries leading the charge. The album takes you on a journey through a few different emotions, but none are felt as strongly as ponderance. If this doesn't stimulate you to think in a new way, it didn't do its job. Oddly enough, although I feel a sense of accomplishment as the final song ends, but in looking at it empirically, I am left with more questions than answers.