Two stalwarts of the French-Canadian black metal scene comprise Sacrenoir. Amongst many other bands, one plays with Forteresse while the other has appeared for them. “Les revenants” means “people who return” and these people returning among the ruins is, I’m guessing, reference to the fact that this album pays homage in style to the 90s black metal of bands like Darkthrone and Gorgoroth. One thing that was guaranteed is coldness, which stands at the heart of all black metal from Québéc.

A stormy blizzard greets us. A distant roar can be heard behind the storm, while a razor-raw riff and blasting drums signal days of yore. “Mille nuits ont passé” (A Thousand Nights Have Passed) is a mix of unstoppable black metal with a following wind and a dirty contemptuous passage. Either way, the intensity shines through the sheer dirtiness and malice of it all. The expansive growls of “Portail Vampirique” (Vampiric Portail) spreads vomit and disease around the room, as a dirge by Darkthrone or Mayhem would once have done. From an atmosphere of corpses swinging round the room, the pace picks up and there’s true mayhem and chaos. “Etouffés par les Flammes” (Stifled by the Flames) spreads more fire as its title suggests. Remorseless black metal sweeps through the air and spreads far and wide. The velocity and fury simply allow no time or space for sympathy or mercy.

Drums hammer and a haughty riff dominate “The Blade of Satan”, a thrashy and energetic black number. From this piece of breathtaking fury we go to the dirty guitar work and all round turbulence of “Épuration” (Purification). If old school black n roll is what you’re after, look no further than “Le Puits du Diable” (The Devil’s Well). From the hammering of the drum to the mechanical rhythm and harsh growly vocals, it puts us in our place in a most enjoyable way. The fire-filled furnace is stoked further with the all-embracing “Aux Portes de l’Enfer” (At the Gates of Hell). The contemptuous riff provides the melody to this fast and hard piece of violent energy and menace. Sacrenoir continue to dig the dirt and fuel the fire on the venomous “Vers d’Autres Mondes” (Towards Other Worlds). We are enveloped in dark clouds. There is no allowance for compromise. I guess that “Parmi les Ruines” (Among the Ruins) is an apt title for the final chapter as this album has been a process of systematic destruction. Perhaps surprisingly, this is an ambient piece but in my imagination I visualised the devastation which the previous tracks depicted, and now we are looking at this scene of devastation as dust sweeps over the deserted wasteland. Laying waste has been very much at the heart of this album.

“Comme Les Revenants Parmi les Ruines” is a throwback in style to olden times. One could ask what’s the point, but let’s take this on its merits. Fire, fury and devastation underpin this blackest of black metal works, and the level of energy and intensity is impressive.

(7.5/10 Andrew Doherty)

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100065311967575

https://sacrenoir.bandcamp.com/album/comme-des-revenants-parmi-les-ruines