French diabolism is the name of the game here with an outfit comprising of ex-Seth vocalist Vicomte Vampyr Arkames and members of Bâ’a and Ad Inferna among others. We are also told that there is involvement from Hreidmarr from Glaciation and ex Anorexia Nervosa and CNK here but I can find no actual link supporting this fact other than some participation on last album ‘Allégeance’ of 2021. That said if you like his aforementioned bands there is plenty stylistically here to engage your interest.
‘Par La Fue’ perniciously feeds you to the flames via a volatile and jack-hammering blend of industrialism and symphonic black metal. After a rumbling intro ‘Vox Diaboli’ magnificently peels back its cloak and swoops, fangs bared with blood-thirsty vocals and cadaverous intent. The musicians power away with a rich orchestral score backing the raging tumult. It’s pretty glorious stuff and quick to put the bite on you with a nostalgic air merged with uncompromising violence. It’s certainly vampiric in a supreme way and has visions of everything from Nosferatu to Martin running through my head. No sparkling angst here that’s for sure. Complete with a theatrical sense of the grand guignol, ‘L’unique merveille’ starts with romantic piano tinkling before dropping a dark veil over proceedings via swirling keyboard atmospherics and sense of the downright macabre. The pounding drums offer little in the way of places to hide from in the nest of bloodsucking filth and the ghouls hunt their prey like a cat stalking a mouse. After a particularly vociferous snarl, the track drops out only to batter back in, complete with some spoken word parts. What they say I am not sure but its damn effective. Cleaving guitars strangulate over ‘Au bord du gouffre’ and is palpably spread as victims are possessed with bloodlust. A sudden rattling riff punctures and the backing symphonic elements constantly swoon in the background. One can easily imagine these songs being decomposed over backing visuals by scene overlord Jean Rollin, all that’s missing is the femininity of his gaze.
Twilight may well be mentioned in title ‘Crépuscule doré’ but this is a merciless undead cacophony to feat upon with a bouncy groove laden bombast about it and by ‘Testament de l’humanité’ we are not so much doomed as a race but completely enslaved. Having kept things to a compact running time the band sprawl into a 13-minute epic as a nail in the coffin. Mort, marche avec moi should be easily translatable for those with just basic grasp of French and has death not so much walking but striding arrogantly to the finish line. Moving from maximum hostility to a section of creepy eldritch malaise this is a Requiem pour un vampire that really captures the imagination. Stalkers of the night most certainly need to check this one out, when the label state that Par La Fue is “one of the major albums of the French extreme scene,” they really are not kidding.
(8.5/10 Pete Woods)
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