It is always good to continue reviewing a bands output when you covered their previous releases as I reviewed this French acts debut ‘Serpentine’ and the split with Bâ’a and Verfallen in 2017 and 2018 respectively. Both those releases were pristine examples of modernised black metal wrath but tempered with an avant-garde element which continues with the bands sophomore. However two band members departed in 2018 and replaced by ex-Svart Crown drummer Nico Muller and bassist Alexis Chiambretto from Deveikuth where he continues to be a member and headed up by Clement Flandrois whose project this is and also resides in Svart Crown.
As I’ve mentioned whilst this band is primarily a black metal act with unforgiving remorselessness the songs are embellished with an avant-garde nature, a virtual progressivity as the release begins with ‘Colère Noire’ where the atmospheric start is smashed to fragments by the ensuing blast sortie. That progressive styling manifests as varying elements such as tempo fluctuations and hues in mood created by the vocal deviations for example. I particularly like the way this band packs their songs with ideas as ‘Malthusien’ slows things down a tad, but with no decrease in intensity. The riffing has a piercing toxicity that permeates the album throughout, but is strengthened by copious deluges in melody and occasional stints of solemnity.
‘Ennemi(E)s’ is nihilistic corrosiveness personified, but within its assaulting nature the song plunges into a post blackened ethos where the pace drops massively producing a more ambient structure, with those variations in vocals I’ve suggested earlier to enhance the atmosphere. ‘Sépulcre’ listens like an extended interlude with a desolate ambience initially that is reinforced by the metal that thrusts with its post black tendencies and leads smoothly into ‘Glyphe De Sang’. The riff here is hook infested with a quirky delivery, as the song deflects the mid-tempo into the expected blast beat which is powerfully placed for maximum impact. Again the song has a slight post black touch courtesy of the hook that is sprinkled subtly atop the mix. There is an impacting drama to this song perfectly exemplified when the song plummets into atmospheric desolation.
I don’t normally write about every track on an album but here we have an exception primarily due to the differing nature of each composition as the album reasserts its wrath with ‘Héritier Mort-Né’ a far more embittered song it diverges into a cool double kick incursion with ghoulish haunting vocals. Closing this excellent album is ‘Triste Sire’ a seven minute plus obsidian extravaganza that starts with ambient soundscaping and a melancholic disposition. As the song abruptly strengthens the song reminded me of epic black metallers Khors for the atmosphere. With changes aplenty the song teems with ideas but here we are offered a clean vocal insertion that I particularly enjoyed and would like to have heard more of. The riff changes have a purposeful impact as they amplify the intensity hugely and enhance the momentum before the track dissolves cohesively into the ambient soundscaping of how it began at its conclusion.
There is an abundance of ideas to pacify every black metal fan, whether you prefer the outright enraging acerbity or the more complex progressive style Hyrgal has it all on their prodigious second album.
(8.5/10 Martin Harris)
Leave a Reply