Though I listen to a great many French bands, I am not accustomed to what Cristalys have produced with their debut album. Epic black metal: melodic, glorious and with a tone that really feels as if its being played at you from the mountaintop. The riffs are big, the synthesizers dense, and the chorus vocals and chants give the production an airy feel."Hymne" is a great intro, pianos and ambience, as if from some 80s fantasy film, accompanied by excellent, angry chorus vocals. Once they lead into the majestic, striding chords of "Gardiens & Conquérants", you can tell you're into a band that takes its time with you. The track soars with its speed picking, war drum and vocal choirs. Some of the riffs follow pretty basic chord patterns, but the atmosphere provided refreshes them. "Gallus Malleus" begins with some rolling acoustics, but the song picks up with some folklike metal pomp and spurts of wild drumming and near-chaos. "Par Le Lys, Les Armes, La Bannière Et Le Sang" again uses a nice but brief acoustic section to intro a fist smashing epic landscape of melodic black grace. Ditto "Force & Honneur". Other highlights include the gloomy but glorious "Baise Ma Hache" and the catchy "Kaiser Barbarossa".
Surémincence sounds great because despite the bold, open space of its production it feels ever so slightly raw. This gives the rhythm guitars some impact yet never detracts from the leads. The vocals of Northail are pretty wild, expressive snarls and of course there are a great many choirs used in most of the songs. We've heard epic black metal many times, but there is something different about Cristalys. At times it reminds me of later Bathory, but the vocals are better. This is a solid debut with some excellent moments spread about, and I'd recommend it to friends of glorious yet savage black/folk.
Verdict: Win [7.5/10]
http://www.myspace.com/cristalysblackmetal
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