Béton Armé – Renaissance

Montreal’s Oi!-punks Béton Armé (“reinforced concrete” in French) have been active for about 7–8 years, but this year they’re likely to make an ear-splitting impression on more listeners with their new record. In true punk fashion, Renaissance is their long-awaited debut, following a series of splits, demos, and EPs (their Second Souffle EP landed on one of our end-of-year lists in 2023). Renaissance filters the French and Italian Oi!-punk legacy, the metal backbone of their regional scene, and their tours in Australia and Japan, among other things, creating an explosive and addictive cocktail that captivates through its precision.

We live in a period where the French post/punk/Oi! scene has flourished once again, enough to warrant an article in The Guardian, with its highly politicized appeal allowing a wave of younger bands across the globe to drink from the eternal well of Blitz and the iconic musical transformation they ushered in. From acts like Litovsk and Rixe to the modern DIY punk heroes Syndrome 81, Cuir, Hinin, Oi Boys, Kronstadt, and many others, the style is regaining ground worldwide, bringing the roots of traditional Oi! back to their working-class core.

Béton Armé are one of the newest and highest-quality additions to this wave. Their aptly titled first full-length, Renaissance, doesn’t exactly bring a “renaissance” to the sound as its title might suggest, but it also doesn’t strictly follow the beaten path. The Montreal outfit infuses its melodic and rhythmic punk sensibilities with the heritage of the local metal/punk scene. Early Voïvod and underground heroes Inepsy, along with chain punk tendencies à la Poison Ruin, lay the foundation for a strikingly interesting rhythmic base.

Indeed, the half hour of Renaissance doesn’t hold back, with a béton armé (yes, I went there) guitar tone and riffs/bass lines that slash like rusted razors. The album’s eleven tracks are intended, as the band declares in the accompanying press release, to unite metalheads, punks, and skins, all dancing together in a libertarian pit, flinging beer cans in every direction. The group also makes an unabashed and justified move in the vocal department. Béton Armé dish out rousing gang “oooohhs” by the bucketload. Every track is elevated by its addictive vocal lines and moments that make you want to raise your fist and sing along without even knowing the language.

Pick any track at random, and you’ll find all the above-mentioned elements at their peak. Relentlessly devoted to this aesthetic, Béton Armé craft every composition with care, aiming for it to win over receptive audiences. Tracks like “Sans Limites” stand out for their rhythmic parts, “Per la Vita” for the “good evening and goodnight” feeling it delivers instantly, the sudden tempo bursts mid-song combined with group vocals, the durations—everything.

As expected, albums like Renaissance are aimed at a specific and targeted audience. Their strengths are most evident to seasoned ears, capable of navigating the shadows cast by the explosive vocals. These Montreal punks’n’skins embrace both their melodic and their more hardcore sides, releasing one of the most enjoyable records of the year in this sound. Honestly and wholeheartedly, the vitality of Béton Armé’s sound and aesthetic is a potent reminder of the crucial power the global punk underground holds to redefine grim reality, defined by blows of unity, solidarity, and dance.

A Greek version of the review was published in Rocking.gr.