Fucked up French black metal is virtually par for the course for this nation, when it comes to wreaking havoc on the unsuspected listener and Neige Morte do just that with their second full length. This is not easy music to listen to and I use the term music loosely as whilst parts of this album are indeed quite musical and possess hooks to claw you to shreds, parts are unfettered aural anarchy much like the opening tune, “500 Jours De Haine”, after the distortion that starts it off. The violence and sheer vitriol unleashed is staggering, blackened noise is an apt description. The vocals are tortured, screamed throaty primal roars, animalistic even as the demented tune adopts some puzzling arrangements and intermittent guitar noise and that’s just the first song.
The sombre beginning of “Death Shall No Dominion” could well have been the start of a Nile song, before a down tuned thuggish and discordant riff comes through. The tune has an emphasis on the drums here, plundering the depths of pandemonium much like the work of Abruptum. The atmosphere on this album is twisted, claustrophobic and sick to the core as the album shifts pace on “Eater Of Worlds”. The warped guitar manifestations make this a disturbing listen, with the tempo blasting by in sheer bedlam. Even when the speed is reined in the pernicious, cold and dark invasion of the album is bone rattling as “Plenitude” demonstrates.
With only six tunes to absorb and variable in length the longer ones have the ability to the listener with unrepentant savagery on “…& Vacuité Du Combat” with its groaning ghoulish vocals and sludge like nightmarish incursions before picking up the speed but leaving the macabre vocals to impose continuous emotionless misery. Closing the this album is “Eater Of Soul”, a headlong dive into vulgarity, the tunes schizoid bleak tapestry is odious, leaving a foul indelible taste on your mind, you will feel violated. The despairing isolation of this release is palpable, like being stood in the middle of nowhere on a bitterly freezing cold night, the music is offensive and fearsome, a self inflicted sonic obscenity that will scare you to death, but that might be exactly what you want.
(7.5/10 Martin Harris)
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