Reviewing and Reviving Gessaffelstein’s ‘Opr’

Photo Credit: Gessaffelstein’s Spotify

What an attribute to be able to flaunt – that what you created more than 14 years ago not only breathed new life into its own being, but it practically revived that of the dead-upon-arrival project of what was almost certain to be one of the Marvel franchise’s latest flops.

All with one ad, mind you, that is barely even a minute long.

If you may so recall: 5 months ago, when suddenly on a random Friday, another trailer was released for the incoming film, ‘Thunderbolts*’; a film, one could perhaps say without much protest, that was in no way anticipated, let alone even being acknowledged in the first place.

The Power of the Trailer

What differentiated this new trailer from the one that was lackluster before? Well, this one had Gesaffelstein, his song ‘Opr’, and its composition befitting villains and anti-heroes in action.

Put the two together, and the interest in both the film and what scored the window into its explosive shenanigans absolutely skyrockets. With new listeners comes new visions and outlooks for how its sound and influence are illustrated in a peaked imagination.

What is to follow is just a lone interpretation from one who must thank TikTok and its current intelligentsia, who at first favor, and then outright consume, what was once formerly obscure.

The Artist & The Era

Gesaffelstein, hailing from Lyon, France, has only just recently, within the past 6 years, adopted a brand new face than what he donned before. However, this new penchant for style and appearance better mirrors that of what has always been his eerie yet uber artistic sound. In that, he is lacquered black and indistinguishable amidst the usual darkness of his sets.

However, if you look at him in the light, or at most – squint, you find him to be lithe, almost skeletal, romanesque in masked features… and even bordering on demonic with his most up-kept routine of unseen details, but blaring LED red eyes.

Origins and Evolution

When he first arrived on the scene, he was not nearly as infernally inspired.

In fact, in going all the way back to his debut in 2009, he even appeared to be a tad doe-eyed on the cover of his first ever single, entitled ‘La question’. Its contents spoke of his ambitions, without a single lyric, though there was plenty to be gathered and translated from the amassing of sirens and punctuating beats.

His sound, though very audibly comfortable under the umbrella of techno and electro, was already worlds different from what was surrounding him. His contemporaries ripped through their synths and keyboards to a happier, or perhaps even more infectious tune, while he heralded an element of hysteria in much of his work.

Hysteria… and perhaps even something darker.

Soundtracking a Lost Generation

Such would perhaps come with the times, and the crossed communications that no doubt came from it, depending upon the one who had the good enough audacity as well as musicality to relay it in a way that was not only received, but clung to.

Especially during a time such as the Great Recession, circa 2008.

Sputter in mass quantities economically though she did, the Recession gave birth to an era of music that is to this day stupendously unmatched, in that it was the hyper-idealistic soundtrack to a then abysmally realistic narrative. The years that were predominantly most affected were between the start and 2014.

And Gesaffelstein presented ‘Opr’ on a silver platter right in the very center of it, in 2011.

The Song

Released as one third in a sequel EP called ‘Conspiracy Pt. 2’, it, as well as its two other siblings, in no way reflected the message of the genre and culture that it technically belonged to. Said message being – life is short, party hard, “turn down for what?!”; and the lyrics and choruses may go on.

For there were plenty to file through and dish out when one’s spirits were not being able to afford the glamorous lifestyle scene in the videos that tout them were dwindling back down.

A Shift in the Mood

Instead, what message could be vividly conveyed in ‘Opr’ was that of almost embracing – instead of the ideal insisted – the hopelessness, rather. And to the point of a strobing, abstract delirium that is convincing you that all might as well be well.

Since nothing may ever get better.

A Breakdown of Darkness

Techno and Electro, as a genre, must have a composition that is explanatory as well as entertaining. With bass, beat, and the occasional identifiable rhythm, something must be conveyed to those who were then often listening for words of encouragement and even feigned happiness. Just as long as it didn’t sound as miserable as they themselves felt, in that moment, and stuck in that time of which they had no room to change.

But therein officially lies the glorious difference of Gesaffelstein, via ‘Opr’. Of course, here in his domain, he will indeed entertain you with a feign that may at first sound the slightest like an upbeat mood (not so much happiness). He may even go so far as to encourage you.

That does not mean it will be for the better.

In fact, what this racing song – moving at an increasingly unnerving pace – intends to convince you to do is to think, see, hear, and feel the darkest of things that you can muster.

And when given the opportunity, through such treble-less and dungeonously bass-filled means (0:19), the visuals indeed are endless.

At 0:38, for example, you could very well hear a swarm of flies, maddeningly encroaching upon something meaning to outrun it at high velocity. But the speed at which that takes is too brutal, cutting into both the hair and skin. Tearing away into nothing is not slow, but much worse – swift.

Then, after the layering of more grounding, almost quaking bass, the more you keep hearing it, it is as if rain is heard falling like ink in a black, melted alley (1:35), thus adding to the voluminous threat of the shadows all around and underneath that could swallow you whole.

What constitutes a melody is only trills to add the slight shudder waiting to rip through the rest of the spine. Then it leaves us (2:13-2:18), but for a moment, before it comes roaring back with even more flurries of ever-growing white, black, red noise, and the dancing and thrashing that it no doubt instills. Is it raining again by 3:13? Heavily so.

Practically flooding as, amidst the rushing and drowning of water, you could swear, maybe you even hear screams as the song itself comes swirling into a downward close-falling, and then keeps falling, then it’s only quiet for a second, before we are cut off.

Gesaffelstein all but dangles us.

Overall…

For ‘Opr’ to resurface when needed – when the heavy weight of potential more so sinks than floats – is all a matter of who first heard it then, and who hears it now.

The two can be separate candidates, or even within the same person. Nevertheless, one must hear ‘Opr’ in a state that is not fueled by the ferocity of the ideal good, which is ironically the theme of the timeline from which it came.

Rather, it must be heard with ears that have heard all the false jubilations… And would much rather be driven further mad by the rhythm’s pace than believe that it would one day all be as it should.

And apparently, it should be parties, and drinks, and dancing. And bright spotlights and singing.

But we live in reality. So do even the ‘Thunderbolts*’ in their equally brutal yet fictitious setting, wherein they are closer to being accepted and embraced by villainry than by any remaining idea of heroes.

So instead of accepting the short-lived fanfare of heroism, and flying through the sky with a swelling of major chords and sun in our eyes, let us do what we can here, in our grit worlds with no verses of adoration, but compositions of dark, lowly spirits, and high definitions that can be deafening.

Let’s listen to ‘Opr’ until we feel something other than misery.

That’s what someone like Gesaffelstein is for.

And if instead he drives us mad – so be it.