Prisonnier Du Temps

***This is the second album from Prisonnier Du Temps, and from the cover alone you can tell that its sole member, Jacky Cadiou, wanted to surprise and not just deliver a pointless follow-up. You can already feel a desire to break the usual codes just from that image.

Breaking the rules is exactly what he does across these eight new tracks. There’s a lot of boldness here, and a clear urge to move away from a French Oi! scene that’s becoming more and more uninteresting. This record pushes beyond that boredom and goes much further. It’s no less angry or brutal, both in the music and the lyrics. But alongside that violence, there are plenty of catchy, infectious, and overall anthemic moments. This is far from dull, simple minded Oi!. That sense of daring opens the door to huge, epic melodies that might bring to mind Criminal Damage, and if we’re talking Portland bands, you can also hear the wild melodic intensity of Tragedy and Poison Idea all driven by a raw, bulldozing post-punk hardcore sound.

You can really feel that this album was created out of Jacky Cadiou’s need to release his anger against those who oppress us. It’s the frustration and pain of the forgotten turned here into music: “The world moves forward with its eyes closed and Gaza burns, forgotten… In pain and tears, children fall unarmed…” With this second album, Prisonnier Du Temps delivers the record you didn’t expect but absolutely need.