Aqua Nebulizer Oscillator – Spiritus Mundi

A World of Gothic French Jams

Aqua Nebulizer Oscillator, a self-described “French Punkadelic Occult rock band” released their new album, Spiritus Mundi, on November 5th. The album is comprised of eleven songs that range from one minute to six, starting with the title track, which sounds like people worshiping the devil in French with screaming behind them. This new album has an even darker feel than their previous albums, which offered more of a basic punk sound. Spiritus Mundi, however, also has much more of a gothic tint to it.

This is a band that could also easily be classified as a jam band, though they aren’t your normal jam band that’s usually stereotyped as happy-go-lucky hippies. Instead, ANO is comprised of angry, gothic, French punks. For instance, the second track, “Up to the Sky,” is mainly a long guitar solo with a steady rhythm underneath, while the lyrics “Why some people die…” are periodically repeated, reinforcing the overall sense of dark emotion that flows throughout the album.

The band’s French background is also a prevalent attribute of the album, which is different for them since almost all of their other songs are either in English, or incomprehensible screams (like most punk for some people). On the song “Tu Seras Roi,” which translates as “You shall be king,” the lyrics are entirely in French, as is the title track. To add even more to the French-English stew is the presence of a minor Middle Eastern influence, specifically on the instrumental track “Varanasi” which is fronted by the sound of a sitar.

Aqua Nebulizer Oscillator is truly a hard band to categorize, and this album, Spiritus Mundi, is equally so. The album seems to be influenced by many things, both culturally and emotionally. The album has a slight electronic edge  at points (most present on the title track), punk, gothic, metal and aspects as well, and all with a cosmopolitan stew of cultural influence on top. Overall, the album is a little hard to take in if you’re not a huge fan of these unique genres crushing together, but no matter what, it is quite an interesting listen.