This is a band I didn’t know previously, but finding out that they come from a familiar stable of Québecois black metal gave me immediate confidence. Précieux Sang have been around since 2019.

The black metal style here is classic in that it gnaws away abrasively and forcefully from the outset. “Le Sang du Mystère” (The Blood of Mystery) could not be accused of lacking in intensity. The vocalist sounds in constant despair. Five minutes in, the mood changes and there is a sombre guitar passage. It is this mid-passage which caught my attention as the atmosphere becomes one of suffering and pain rather than the outright assault which preceded it. The album consists of three long tracks over 36 minutes. “Le Sang du Mystere” comprises two distinct passages and not a lot of development or variation. “Délectation Morose” (Morose Delight) sets off like “Le Sang du Mystère” in blasting black metal style. There is an air of melancholy about the guitar work. The tormented vocalist, whose anguished cries I appreciated, is off again. The tension heightens, and the guitar strain rises to this occasion of epic suffering. The pace is steady and the delivery persistent, reflecting grandiose tragedy. The riff line reminds me a lot in fact of Katatonia, who know a thing or two about gloom and tragedy. As “Le Sang du Mystère”, 9 minutes pass without a great deal of development. The sound and concept are impressive but it’s like a battle of attrition. The third and final piece is the 17 minute “De la Paille et du Grain” (Of Straw and Grain). The instrumental introduction sets an epic scene with resonant rather than fiery black metal. About 4 minutes in, a sad backdrop provides the canvas for a spoken passage. The sound has a Burzumesque ambience about it. The standard black metal pattern returns. The vocalist’s anguish has not diminished. The melancholic atmosphere is retained to the end.

Usually my criticism of debut albums is that bands pack in too many ideas instead of developing the interesting ones and getting inside the listener’s head. “Les Nuits de Gethsémani“ is the opposite. I felt that these long pieces could have achieved the same outcome by being shorter, as the content and largely attritional style do not vary a great deal, and the album’s long-windedness neither enhances nor sparks greater interest in the story line. Yet this is a band which can clearly create and transmit epic atmospheres, and in this sense there is much to admire about this album.

(6.5/10 Andrew Doherty)

https://precieuxsangbm.bandcamp.com/album/les-nuits-de-geths-mani