Just to settle any confusion in the first instance this album is actually entitled ὸ θεὀς ὸ βασιλεὐς but putting that in the subject line could cause a website meltdown, so like others we are going with the translation. Anyway, I really enjoyed my first encounter with Griffon last year on the split album Atra Musica with fellow French comrades Darkenhold. Both bands provided plenty of identity within their music and I found a certain medievalism in both. Darkenhold’s swords and castles are perhaps clearer to see but it is the merging of black metal, classic metal and neo-classical music and even chamber music that really steeped Griffon’s sound in a nostalgic aura. Thematically the album confronts the relationship between spiritual and temporal powers and their evolutions in both conflict and symbiosis over the Christian era. Sure, that sounds heady context wise but don’t worry too much about that because the pure delight of the music itself can clearly be enjoyed in its own right here. If you have the album on disc with the liner notes you can go in deeper with explanations of the songs meanings as well as ponder the fact that lyrics are versed in Greek, French, Latin and English.
We head down the road to Damaskos with strange and ghostly spoken words and a gloomy atmosphere before vocalist Ahron lets out a bloodthirsty roar, drums pile in and the storm-clouds gather and erupt. Poise and melodicism are the main motifs here, the music is quite gorgeous within the guitar textures on the slower parts but there is a feel of ruthlessness too from the hoary vocals and more forceful rhythms; drummer Kryos, ex Moonreich and The Negation giving it a rugged backbone. The classical elements seep in with some subtle symphonic parts and the weave of the violin making this all particularly interesting and intriguing and certainly giving the band a uniqueness and dare I say eccentricity to their craft. Zeal and flair and I am sure some ardour pepper ‘L’Ost Capétien’ with a host of ideas from classical zest to bravado from the backing chants. Like the tale of King Phillip of France this is a victorious romp taking us back historically to 1214. The French kicked the Roman’s butt and here they pay tribute with swaggering melodicism and even a little waltz in tribute. A horn blows as we confront the darkness of Regicide, things rumble and one can almost anticipate the drop of the guillotine as this takes you into another world. Spoken voices mysteriously echo from the past and a palpable sense of atmosphere is built. I am reminded at times of the darkness summoned in more carnival fashion of labelmates Pensees Nocturnes of whom the group share a live guitarist. Like them you never know what to expect next, here it is choral work, classical guitar and piano; all subtle, none overplayed but all adding to the richness of the music.
The languages do not really get in the way, French sounding completely natural with the elongated roaring delivery of a song like Les Plaies du Trône. I love the way you can follow to a certain extent and know you are hearing a dark chapter of horrible history laid out in front of you. Surging into brutality it is not just sharp bladed things here that are destined to remove heads from shoulders. Some inner Mahler is a piano motif that is channelled before Abomination is confronted and we sweep into the world of bloody and bonkers Roman Emperor Caligula. His violations enthusiastically get the musical treatment and it has to be said everything about this is really quite fascinating especially the way the band move fluidly from one style to another here keeping the listener really on their toes but doing it so well things are never overbearing or confusing; simply a delight to listen to. Caligula’s golden statue of himself in a Jewish temple pissed them off make no mistake and a revolt is the only answer. Swords clash as ‘My Soul Is Among The Lions’ addresses the battle. Here we can follow in English but the sound of revolt and revolution is pretty damn clear no matter the language. Musically it’s a meeting of past and present the composition of the symphonic elements particularly effective, sweeping us up and carrying off in a mad dervish. I am glad that the band kept things somewhat compact as I am sure they could have made much more out of the subject matter here; it could easily stretch to a trilogy of albums but here it is wrapped up neatly with last track Apotheosis providing a sombre yet “divine” conclusion.
Fascinating in so many respects Griffon should be applauded for an album of not only great music but one that has been carefully constructed around its historical context too. As this concerto draws to a close it won’t be long before you are drawn back again to revel in its revolting tales and misdeeds of the past. At least for 40 minutes we have been able to put those of the present momentarily to the back of our minds.
(8.5/10 Pete Woods)
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