I’m sure it is quite well recognised that this French band has Clément Flandrois of Svart Crown heading it up. Indeed he has been at the helm since the bands inception in 2007 following which they have released a demo, couple of splits and two full lengths with three of these releases having been covered by yours truly for the site. Most acts progress, diversify or adjust continually throughout their discography, be it improved playing, song writing or just sheer ambition and in Hyrgal it is an amalgamation of all those traits that makes them so enduring and interesting to listen to. The gradual change throughout their discography is noticeable but what doesn’t change is the ingenuity and creative astuteness. Since the release of ‘Fin De Règne’ in 2020 there have been another couple of changes in the line-up with Rémi Serafino and Mathias Nagy entering the fold on drums and guitars/vocals respectively, with the former also residing in Svart Crown.
Like most French black metal bands Hyrgal don’t stick to the formula, true their vitriolic obsidian assault is equivalent to most of the stuff you hear in black metal but they also add that avant-garde factor that steps them slightly to the side without loss of integrity as their third full length kicks off with ‘Diablerie’. Like previous albums the band has opted for a rich dense smothering production which works to enhance all of the songs vehemence and asphyxiating horror. The opener exemplifies this superbly carving out that Hyrgal niche and as the opener progresses you get that feeling of dread, an eerie shroud enveloping you as the riffs pour scorn and wrath upon your unworthy soul. With fluxing dynamics this album teems with emotive prowess, captured by the atmosphere and especially the vocal tonal variations.
‘Legende Noire’ follows and eases you in with a quirkier riff and beat that reels you in as the intense harsh vocal pierces the mix with glass shattering power. There are cleaner vocals here too, sort of bellowed shouts with an edge as the song saunters into a black doom phase that balances the tempo dynamics. Longer and more involved ‘La Foudre Puis La Nuit’ has a creepy opening, horror film like sinister ethos as the gradual guitar fade-in works a treat as it pushes into blasted territory. The intensity is palpable, the way the band embeds the hooks alongside the cleaner vocal I’ve mentioned crafts a song of intriguing guile.
Slower and more oppressive ‘Vermines’ has a cloying nightmare stricken aura; their terrorising dissonance stripping you to the bone as its swingeing power flexing is infused with some excellent double kick infusions to add a certain catchiness. ‘Serment De Sang’ is much shorter but where I expected some outright blackened rage I instead got something rather more zany, aberrant if you wish with its tuneful melody and surging blackened malfeasance. Closing the album is ‘Au Gouffre’ which blasts forth with little ceremony, pure hostility distilled into four minutes of unadulterated annihilation as the drum work focuses the songs protracted intensity. Again we get those cleaner vocal inserts and whilst you’d expect that power to drop when they come in, it doesn’t the retention of unmitigated hatred flows through the song without deviation.
Yet another prime example of ambitious black metal from Hyrgal and if you’ve never investigated this potent band then you really should as they tick every box in the black metal checklist without question.
(9/10 Martin Harris)
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