Unleash Your Sexuality With Frau Fleischer’s Debut Album “When the Sun’s Down” ‣ CVLTARTES

To the best of my belief, it has seemed a tumultuous few years for Frau Fleischer, with the line-up change, pandemic, the release of their debut album, and the like. “When the Sun’s Down” was released on November 23, 2021, via Sliptrick Records, and here I found myself reviewing the aggressive and rough yet glam and theatrical sound of Frau Fleischer.

Frau Fleischer (Madame la bouchère in French) was formed in 2020 during the sanity crisis. Initially consisting of Gabriel Daimon on vocals, Greg Lambert on guitar, and Franz Schultz on electronics, soon after the band released their single/video ‘Fashion,’ Daimon decided to leave the band for another project. At the moment, Frau Fleischer is a French duo of two hairy guys (Greg and Franz), as they decided to continue the band and work on new tracks.

Influenced mainly by metal, future pop, and industrial pop, with clear references to the ’80s and the ’90s dance music and trashy print, their debut album showcases a raw spirit of ferocious music and unabashed sexuality. The nine-track album “When the Sun’s Down” opens with ‘Sacrifice,’ a technical wizardry reminiscent of Combichrist, with drums that serve between the glitz of the lead singer and glitchy background sounds.

As soon as you dive into it, the album slowly takes a much more aggressive and electronic approach. ‘Holy Crown‘ takes a sharp electronic turn, with cutting guitar melded and punkish-like vocals. The hypnotic hyper-energy on ‘Piece of meat‘ leaves the impression that it would be an absolute live banger. The dirty, theatrical style is infused with Prodigy-style blowouts (can I get a Hallelujah for the groans that fuckin’ killed on the song?!). The deep inarticulate sounds of pleasure and the waves of laughter give the song a new purpose: to unleash your inner sexuality.

While ‘Baby I’m free‘ boots of incredible energy and danceable moments, with ‘Infierno,’ things get more serious. The track is an industrial metallic rager, mixing a gothic splendor with heavy distorted guitar riffs and a groove that’ll make you move. ‘Bagarre‘ combines savage black metal riffing with terror EBM and somewhat threatening sexuality that has been once displayed by Jessica Priest’s film adaptation of Spawn. The track has an almost Dimmu Borgir’s ‘Puritania’ churn, with an addictive bassline.

“When The Sun’s Down” is many things to many people: a powerful statement for the LGBTQIA+ community, a glamourous look for those seeking to extend their comfort zone, a kinky record for those looking for a sex track, and a proof Frau Fleischer could have a musical career if they want too.

Frankly, after ‘Bagarre,‘ you’ll feel ‘Bloody Curls,’ ‘A boy was shot,’ and ‘Bad Girl‘ are rather soft. The different vocal tones – ranging from a punkish to a fashionably clean style on ‘Holy Crown‘ and a mechanical one on ‘Bloody Curls‘ – provide warming friction. If there’s one downside, I wished for a better interplay between the guitar sounds and vocals, as Daimon’s vocals are rather loose in places, occasionally slipping out of tunes.

Unquestionably, the sexually tasty and like the beat of a rotten hearth, the music of Frau Fleischer will make you stand up and dance energetically, freeing your mind from the harshness of everyday life. On “Where The Sun’s Down,” Frau Fleischer seeks and finds common ground between the kinky industrial kings and electronics stars.

Without Daimon, the band seemed to have taken a more brutal approach, with aggressive growls and guitar riffs. But that’s for you to judge. Listen to Frau Fleischer’s newest single, ‘Shining Star,’ released on June 15.