Les Bâtards du Roi - Les chemins de l'exil (2025)

This is another of the newer masked European black metal bands, only they use what look like some sort of templar-meets-executioner attire with dirty sacks covering their faces. From the looks of the sophomore album's cover, I expected this to be really raw, Medieval and rustic in execution, but in reality it's much more accessible, with a cleaner mix of the instruments and an extremely good sense of melody. I listened back to their s/t debut album from the previous year, and these building blocks were already present, but Les chemins de l'exil strikes a much better balance between the drums, vocals and guitars, where it had seemed a little off prior. Should this description seem too tidy for a band with the moniker of Les Bâtards du Roi, fear not, because they keep things savage enough with the vocals and some of the more stormy riffs as you'll find in "Chevalier au corbeau", etc.

That said, they really thrive on the classic sense of melody that is not uncommon in this scene. Bands like Griffon, Aorhlac and Véhémence thrive with this aesthetic, but while Les chemins d'exil isn't quite as ear-bleedingly graceful and catchy as that last comparison, it's got an almost anthemic quality that will attach itself to you. There is also plenty of variety, with some excellent acoustics here, usually used for intros but so good that I almost didn't want them to end in some places. In addition to the traditional black metal snarl, there are some cleaner vocals, often used over the aforementioned acoustics, but also as these melodic choirs that will erupt against a surging rhythm. The drums have a great, full feel to them which lends passion and propulsion to the faster parts, but also a lot of meat to the slower, airier sections where you'll be able to pick up on a lot more of the fills. I also enjoyed the rhythm guitar tone, it's got a springy and natural feel to the distortion which puts some punch into every melody, but also works well with such a clean studio mix.

I've said countless times that the French scene is severely underrated, with dozens of bands performing at a high level of proficiency and composition. Yes, some of the more famous, dissonant outliers like Blut Aus Nord have been enormous, deservedly so, but I find a lot of these second or third tier acts' efforts to explore history and nature through the black metal medium to be highly appealing. If you like any of the acts I named earlier, or Belenos, or the last couple Seth records, get your credit card ready because I think you're also going to be impressed with what's on this disc.

Verdict: Win [8/10]

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61564480907615

Galibot - Euch’Mau Noir bis (2026)

Surprisingly, Galibot is not my first encounter with mining-themed black metal, as the Germans in Dauþuz have been exploring the niche for years, albeit from a more Medieval and folkloric perspective. This younger French act has a slightly more modern vibe about them, with a lyrical focus bent more on 20th century industrial era mining, which was prominent in Northern France until well into the 60s. I admit that's a fascinating subject to deal with, and as much as I love the wintry, naturalistic, Viking and Satanic schools of black metal, the older me is definitely paying attention to wherever else this beloved music might journey conceptually. The question is, how does Euch'Mau Noir bis translate this theme into its music, and does it succeed?

This is a remaster/remix of an album a couple years old with another track tacked on so it's still pretty early on in the band's development, which formed around three years prior. It's about as straightforward as melodic black metal can get, and apart from a few sound effects, the machine-like efficiency of the drums and overall performances, and the desperation that this niche create through its surging rhythms, rasped vocals and melodies wrought with sadness...I didn't connect the music much in my imagination with the subject. It's there in the din of the cover photography and lyrics...perhaps in the narrative interlude track, but the sense of melody and urgency created through the battering percussion and ceaseless atmosphere of the riffing has an extremely orthodox black metal feel. There are some female vocals, some slight flourishes of other eccentricities or atmospherics, I think the band I was most reminded of here was Switzerland's Borgne, who have a comparable, mechanical feel to the black metal process, although theirs is more tinted by the industrial music fundamentals.

The drums here definitely feel like a relentless machinery, whether it's the intense fills or the precision blasts and kicks, but often they feel a little too flawlessly monotonous and over the top, where some more dynamic balance would have served the album as a whole. The rhythm guitars are vicious and powerful, but I always got the impression they were only about two-thirds of the way into memorable hooks when they rinse and/or repeat. Vocals are well mixed and full-bodied for the genre, trad rasping but with a slightly suicidal edge to them, but they often follow the course of the riffing without leaving much of an impression. Galibot has a powerful, competent sound to it, but it needs a few more peaks and valleys to chisel out the experience into something more soul-crushingly effective, and perhaps some more ambience, samples and other instrumentation to deliver the rich theming.

Verdict: Indifference [6.75/10]

https://galibot.bandcamp.com/album/euchmau-noir-bis-les-nords

Archvile King - Aux heures désespérées (2026)

Archvile King's debut saw the immediate rise of a new force in French black metal, perhaps lacking in the dissonant nuance of that scenes most popular artists like Blut Aus Nord of The Great Old Ones, but just a riff driven, scathing record with a bit of a black/thrash influence. When you gaze upon its successor, Aux heures désespérées, you immediately get the impression that they've gone rank and file with the other French bands performing in the Medieval theme, and where that was also true of the debut to an extent, it's even more here. In fact, this album does drop a little of that thrashier nastiness for something more atmospheric and antiquated sounding, but make no mistake, the sole guy responsible here, 'Baurus', is still writing excellent black metal, and the fact that he is performing ALL the instruments makes it even more impressive.

The lush synth/orchestration that he weaves through the album is excellent, usually for intros so that the bodies of the songs have a more traditional BM structure, but they're all great at giving a little bit of a tasty dungeon synth element to the proceedings. As for the heavier stuff, it's majestic and surging, not as overly melodic as other bands in this niche, but enough that the riffs will seer themselves into your memory and leave you with that fulfillment that a very balanced black metal attack can give. Certainly, there are some riffing and blasting passages throughout that are purely savage and feel like they came out of the din of the early to mid-90s, but even these are contrasted off against more graceful, slower rhythms to great effect. Baurus' vocals are nothing unusual for the genre, some rasps with an added layer of guttural, but always a blend of glorious and creepy. The instruments are all mixed really well, with audible bass lines that enforce the majesty and morose intensity constructed by the melodies. The beats are mixed very well, they largely just do their job but the guitars and atmosphere are strong enough that no more is necessary.

Yes, a lot of this is old hat, you won't find a bag of new tricks in Archvile King's composition, although the precise way it all forms together doesn't always emulate any other bands in particular. This is totally for fans of the 90s black metal, were it was going from the necro creep of earliest second incarnations to the more expansive, semi-symphonic rush of records like In the Nightside Eclipse, Nemesis Divina and Stormblast. If you also like some of this bands' countrymen, Aorlhac or Seth or Darkenhöld then this is one of easiest recommendations I can make you, because Baurus has that same sense of proficiency in both performance across all his instruments, production, and knowledge of genre to create a 47 minute escape into the past, without any breaks of disappointment in the consistency. An awesome talent with a high level of potential, and already two very underrated records (and a good split) under his belt.

Verdict: Win [8.7/10]

https://archvileking.bandcamp.com/

Creeping Fear - Realm of the Impaled (2025)

I wasn't super familiar with Creeping Fear going into this third album. I recognized the demonic mascot, perhaps I'd sampled an earlier song or two in the past, but Realm of the Impaled is probably my first complete exposure, and they struck me for having a sound that, on the surface might be meat & potatoes death metal, but reminds me a lot of USDM stuff emerging in the 90s, particularly Immolation. Maybe not like those New Yorkers at their most rhythmically weird or extreme, but more like where they started to transition to that after Dawn of Possession. You've got the fundamentals here like the guttural vocals, chugging and chunky death metal foundation, and then lots of slightly adventurous little twists  and turns through the guitar-work, while the drumming is just pretty sick all around and helps meaty the whole production up.

I suppose there are also a lot of monolithic grooves here reminiscent of Morbid Angel as well, like in "Demonic Ascent" when that more atmospheric intro just erupts into a chugging wall of force, or "Torture Wheel" which might have felt at home on Domination; but it's really the details of how the guitars are being played that piqued my interest, lots of pinches and squeals that create a canvas of extremity to accompany the concussion of the tireless drummer. The vocals have a pretty standard nihilistic sustain to the growling, not highly interesting but certainly function, especially where he belts out a growl over the more complex structure of the riffing, or where a lead guitar starts to spit out, and these are also handled tastefully. Weird and jazzy and alien just like the rhythm-work. The riffs are multitude, I can't promise that many of them catchy as opposed to functional, but there is no shortage of them throughout this abusive, 35 minute discourse, it's jam-packed for that playtime and at the very least I can say you'll never be bored.

Does this stand out with the greats? Perhaps not yet, but Creeping Fear have all the ingredients that would be required, they just need more exposure and to continue their course, layering in even more musicality and some more memorable individual riffs would go a long way. But they've got the drumming, the primal vocal savagery, the endless array of guitars, rhythmic versatility in spades, killer leads (especially in "Et ils se couvrirent de gloire"), and most importantly, a good atmosphere, all settled into a great production that lets you capture the whole experience. I don't focus in on French death metal as much as I do the black, but these guys are easily one of the stronger I've heard, and we're not talking Gojira but highly Florida/NY-influenced stuff, maybe a little earlier Gorguts with that Immolation, lots of effort and a reliable spin.

Verdict: Win [7.5/10]

https://creepingfear.bandcamp.com/

Darkenhöld - Le fléau du rocher (2025)

While they're still not very well known outside of their home region,  Darkenhöld is one of the top and most consistent bands performing French black metal of a Medieval/fantastical nature, and their sixth album Le fléau du rocher continues to elevate their presence with a flowing, slightly adventurous sense to the songwriting. That's not to imply that it's a major evolution beyond what they'd created for the last few, but I don't ever get the sense that they're repeating themselves; the basics are the same, but they're presenting new melodies and rhythmic structures and the result is the sort of escapism I think a lot of fans of fantasy based black metal might enjoy. They're not quite as seethingly historical as Aorlhac or bleedingly melodic as Vehemence, two of their most obvious parallels, but they occupy a balanced middle ground.

Lots of lush acoustics and synthesizers are implemented to complement the tremolo-picked charging of the guitars, while the drums are also a dominant force here with lots of intense fills and thundering, almost martial sounding patterns that boost the sense of anachronism and escapism. The riffing patterns are not always cold and bleak or dissonant, but rather glorious and warm as they highlight myths and battles and sorcery. Guitars don't always bore into your ears with the most memorable progressions, as you've heard a lot of them before, but I think they do a grand job at mixing together folk-like Medieval vibes with the darker Scandinavian black metal mysteries, and fine leads or melodies will break out gallivanting through tunes like "Le cortège royal" or the title track. They can pick up on the intensity a bit with "L'ascension du mage noir" or do something more mug-swilling in "Troubadour" which might have been the product of some more directly folk metal band, with the deep male chants.

Granted, the more in that direction the music ever aims with this album, it does feel slightly more generic, I actually prefer when they get darker or use the synths to create an almost dungeon synth/black metal hybrid, but all of it is handled in a balance so the record never grows dull. The vocals are a fairly standard rasp, but you do get some of those aforementioned choirs for some variation. Although this record is more musically developed than previous, I don't know that it stands out for me as much as a Castellum or their 2010 debut A Passage to the Towers..., but Darkenhöld has never released a dud, and if you've enjoyed their other records, or the aforementioned countrymen, or others like Griffin and Seth from that same scene, then you'll probably appreciate the effort these guys have been meting out for the last 15+ years.

Verdict: Win [7.5/10]

https://darkenhold.bandcamp.com/

Räum - Emperor of the Sun (2025)

Räum's 2023 debut Cursed by the Crown was a serviceable slab of surging, atmospheric Belgian black metal, which didn't leave much of an impact with me, but was clearly competent in most of the ways that matter. They follow it up with a sophomore that somewhat copies and pastes the style of its predecessor, but also offers just a fraction more variety in its atmospheric segues where they break away from the sheer force of the venomous rasps and pounding, tidal chord patterns. That's nothing new, perhaps, since tunes like the title track of the debut were already exploring some vague acoustic passages to help mediate the unbroken intensity of the black metal ammunition, but I think there's a better balance here with slightly more substance.

Examples include "Grounds of Desolation" with its almost funereal, minimalistic bridge upon which the cleaner guitars eventually begin to shimmer, carving out the streaming guitars and thundering drums into halves; or the dour and folksy cleans in "Towards the Flame" and "Nemo Me Impune Lacessit", where they almost get experimental with the metal dropping out but the continued rasping as a few massive chords just drone onward to a light percussive shift. This binary technique isn't used all over the disc, as something like "Obscure" just seethes along, basking in its own barbaric juices, with dynamics relying on the layers of guitars that continue to swell and embed into the vaulted ceiling of the record's mix, while the beats and snarls maintain a stay cadence. I think my favorite piece is the titular "Emperor of the Sun", though, which cycles through a number of tempos during its own bridge and feels the most rhythmically adventurous and delivers a depth and mood.

I do think the vocals are good but a little monotonous, retaining the same vile pitch across a lot of the faster material. Emotional and volatile, sure, though some added chants, cleans, growls or maybe even effects would help match the variation the band exhibits as its shifting between to the two extremes. The guitar riffs are also not the stickiest, they always feel like they're just a few notes off from truly burning their way into your memory. There is also something about the production which didn't really resonate for me, I think it's the mix of the vocals and the shining guitar patterns which makes it all feel a bit blunt and streamlined. Those quips aside, I did feel like Emperor of the Sun tiptoes past the debut and shows a slight incline in potential.

Verdict: Win [7/10]

https://www.facebook.com/raum.belgium

Sordide - Ainsi finit le jour (2024)

I had already run across Sordide's last record a couple years ago, but even with an expectation of their style this one started off so spiky and chaotic that it spun my head around a few times. They've got a similar dissonant approach to some of their better known peers like Blut Aus Nord and Deathspell Omega, but in a different context where it's more like straight-ahead black metal tempered with these odd chord choices, swerving bass lines and vocals that feel pretty turbulent and organic, not only incorporating the rasps typical of the genre but some other raving barks that feel more vicious and sporadic. But what I like about this record more than its predecessor is just how much more they lean into these differential chords consistently across the material as if they're starting to adapt them into their own nasty language.

Perhaps not as much as those other bands I mentioned, or like the mighty Canadian sci-fi thrashers Voivod who pretty much wrote the book on how do to that, but there are some similarities in style, and they piss out enough unusual writing that Ainsi finit le jour compels through much of its 53 minutes. Structurally, it's got your basic variety of blasting and then some slower, grooving chords almost like Darkthrone or Hellhammer, but then they clamp on that strangeness and it becomes just left of center. The slower tunes like "Sous vivre" are murky and offsetting, while the up-beat stuff like "Banlieues Rouges" has these great guitar licks sliding all over with a freakish disposition. The bass seems much more grounded than the roiling rhythm guitars, and that helps anchor the festivities to give them an occasional 'warm' vibe despite how tormenting the chords can feel.

As a result, I think this record (like their last) can have some crossover feel to fans of weirder post hardcore bands or dissonant jazz-fused black metal stuff like Imperial Triumphant, in addition to the groups I mentioned before. But the skeleton of the music itself is much more obvious, and if you'd fused together these riffs a little differently you'd have something approximating more traditional BM. At any rate, while this isn't always that interesting, it's a solid step past Les idées blanches and if they continue to develop this uncanny atmosphere being sloshed around by the guitars they might really be onto something. Cool disc.

Verdict: Win [7.5/10]

https://sordide.bandcamp.com/

Time Lurker - Emprise (2024)

Much like Time Lurker's eponymous 2017 debut, Emprise is long on transforming atmospherics into something that smacks you straight in the face, not to say it lacks in riffing and intricacy, but these are tools used to contribute bleedingly to the material's dark, streaming vibe. Paired up with the howling, tortured vocals of Mick, which clearly follow in that Burzum vein exclusively, you've got an effort that is best experienced in full when you're seeking out something desperate and transcendent, almost like you were to filter some strain of post rock through a blasting, tremolo picking filter. I think the cover artwork selected for this couldn't be more apt, because it really just feels like your conscience is escaping your pallid corpse to realms dim and hopeless and obscure.

To be clear, there are some fairly catchy licks driving pieces like "Cavalière de feu" and "Poussière mortifère", but they both have their segues of surging spaciousness interwoven with the aggressive, forward momentum. Whether this is just hyper-riffing stretched out into the void while the drums drop out, or a dire acoustic/clean guitar intro, they've got this balance of intensity and calm almost like a yin and yang across the 34 minute runtime. One track, the titular intro, is a pure swell of ambiance with what sounds like subtle vocals and snarls shoved up against some cosmic radiance or engine-humming, and it was appreciably enigmatic and dread-inducing. But despite having a consistent conceptual feel to it, there is actually a decent level of variety to the songwriting. "Disparais, soleil" stands out for being very calm, with slower guitars that ring off into the atmosphere, ethereal female vocals hovering just on the edge of your consciousness, and some nice tribal drumming to bind it all into a trance. They also balance out the faster, cutting stuff with a lot of mid-paced or slogging moments.

The vocals are going to be an acquired taste like other bands that use them, they are very traumatic and might fool an uninitiated listener into thinking they are making some mockery of the style, but they are well implemented here and definitely give you that illusion of being stabbed somewhere out in a wintry waste until the steam rises off your leaking blood. It's not meant to be comfortable, but to convey the pain and emotion of someone lost in the esoteric pocket dimension in which this musician explores. I'm not sure I'd place this quite at the equal of the Time Lurker debut, but it's close, and there are some departments in which this exceeds it...such as emotional impact, melodic grace, and diversity. This continues to be another rich new voice to experience on the French scene with dreadful potential.

Verdict: Win [7.75/10]

https://timelurker.bandcamp.com/album/emprise

Mòr - Hear the Hour Nearing!

The cover of this record is extremely primal and evocative, several forces of nature colliding in an elemental cataclysm, and I'm happy to hear that the music actually follows through with this. Blistering black metal which manages to watch the fine line between crisp clarity and unremitting, raw ferocity, this French duo is clearly not interesting in taking any prisoners and keeps any sentimentality to a minimum as they tear and thunder their way across 44 minutes and nine tracks. Not to say they don't have a melodic side to them, in tracks like "Eden" you will hear veritable explosions of higher-picked note progressions that can invoke the Romance and melancholy of the style, and they can also perform at a more moderate, atmospheric pace as they do as they travel the "Third Path" or the percussion-free instrumental "Cave of Shadows."

The real star here is the production, especially when their blazing forward at a dizzying clip, there's just a percussive edge to the rhythm guitars and drums in tandem that really stands out. Without exception, most of my favorite moments throughout are when they are at their most agile, whether it's the scathing and dissonant, or the more dour and melodic passages like "Letter of Loss". The slower, spacious stuff does give a good counterbalance so the listener isn't drubbed into monotony, but I found that after a few moments it doesn't anything quite as thrilling on offer. But the tones remain choppy and soil-stricken, like tornados of soggy earth being whipped about a desolate plain, and they even have a nice muddy sound on some of the cleaner, lightly distorted guitars (bridge to "Letter of Loss") that fit very well. There's even a little bit of a death metal mentality to some of the riffing patterns although they never break the black metal character. Rasps are huge and atrocious and resonate out over the stormy substrate of the guitars, and the drumming is a whiplash-inducing surge.

The band is nowhere near as dissonant and unusual a something like a Blut Aus Nord, but if you can imagine that band headed in a more straightforward blasting Euro BM direction, this wouldn't be too far off the mark. Hear the Hour Nearing! lives up to its cautionary title, being a tempestuous, turbulent experience which has just enough harmonic hooks coursing through the pulsing pandemonium of its inception. A few of the slower tunes do let it down somewhat, but there are about a half dozen ragers here that will appeal to fans of black metal which might be considered a balance of 'thinking man' and 'brute', brash and explosive but never stupid.

Verdict: Win [7.75/10]

https://666mor666.bandcamp.com/album/hear-the-hour-nearing

Houle - Ciel cendre et misère noire (2024)

As a New Englander born and bred, adopted from a seaside hospital and rarely ever having lived more than a few miles away from the Atlantic, I've always felt the allure of maritime-themed metal music. A rare commodity, to be sure, but it has been done in a handful of instances, from the Golden Age 80s piracy of the great Running Wild and the decades-late goofy folk metal bands in their wake, to the more serious blend of storm and gloom that a band like France's Houle manifests. I had already commended their adherence to the theme on their eponymous 2022 EP, and with Ciel cendre et misère noire they embrace it all even more closely, an album that is dreary and partially immersed in the traditions of BM, but also has a few unique characteristics that might broaden its appeal beyond that niche.

To be honest, a lot of it is what you'd expect, fast paced and slathered in tremolo picked melodic guitars that evoke both the melancholy of a dingy seascape and the inevitable turbulence that one might face in that environment. There's a certain 'heavy metal' vibe to some of their riffing patterns in tracks like "La danse du rocher", and they also have a lot of cleaner passages with acoustic guitars and tighter, simple chugging patterns used to perforate the vocal lines, often then reverting to the more desperate, blasting rhythms. Adsagsona has a very carnal rasp about her when she's performing in the lines, but I actually found her less structured, ranted/shouting French vocals to be more confrontational and interesting, where the more standard rasp can feel a little overbearing. However, they certainly sound bloody as hell, there is no reining anything, and it's pretty sweet that she can go across such a range, even having some softer, narrative lines over a few of the more folkish moments, which are present but never in a quantity to challenge the metal dominance through the writing.

Production is a bit brighter than it might appear from looking at the album packaging, but I think that makes sense with the emphasis on the melodic guitars. The drumming is snappy and intense, the bass cruises along with its own character, and there's also a lot of folk and neo-classical vibe to some of the guitar melodies or bass lines throughout. The album is paced out and structured well, with some nice breaks where the guitars will surge like the beam of some ship cutting through a storm. I think the downside for me here is that I didn't find a lot of the material nearly as catchy as I would have wanted...the vocal personality, especially the more insane she gets, often drowns out the value of the riffs, and while they're all well played, there's nothing terribly novel or sticky about them. This is no throwaway album, mind you; it continues upon the potential of the EP, without expanding it all that far, and I also think Houle has a niche with plenty of room to develop, but I found myself more inspired by the theme than the musical content itself.

Verdict: Win [7.25/10]

https://www.facebook.com/HouleOfficiel

Corpus Diavolis - Elixiria Ekstasis (2024)

Adorned in what might be the most erotically diabolic cover artwork of the year, the fifth album from Corpus Diavolis offers another scorching on the more traditional side of European BM, never sounding quite so distinct as its avant-garde French countrymen, nor the Medieval stylings of other peers, but full-on Satanic, blasting black metal. The reliance is wholly on the sinister, ritualistic infusions, but that's not to say that this is some monotonous, overblown effort, it's meticulously plotted and padded out to offer enough variation that you'll enjoy exploring some of its longer tracks, a couple of which just scrape the 10 minute ceiling. I had already been impressed with the group's 2021 effort Apocatastase, and this one is ever more nasty sounding and effective.

That's not to say you'll come across much original, but the Frenchmen overwhelm you with components that keep the experience like a richly occult canvas that continues to sprawl out across a dungeon wall. Vocals shift in between genre rasps, snarls, tortured groans, and little passages of chanted choirs that hit at just the right time like the finale of opener "His Wine Be Death". The guitars possess the balance of tremolo picked, winding and sinister melodies, but also spiked up with little atmospherics, clean or dissonant and always conscious of expanding the sound to a higher level than just its basic rhythmic drive. The drumming is as savage as necessary for the style, charged up with lots of little fills or percussive fits that add even more of that ritual haze to the proceedings, and the bass is just present and plunky enough to fatten up the bombast, especially during the slower to mid-paced segments of the disc.

There's an advanced sense of depth and composition here in tunes like "Cyclopean Adoration" and "Menstruum Congressus" that transcends any superficial stab at the style, and if you're fond of black metal bands that go that extra mile, you'll easily find yourself lost in its orgiastic, serpentine, vaulted mysteries, like an entire forbidden night at some vile subterranean temple, caught to tape. That's not to say that it's always so strikingly memorable, but there's enough meat here musically and lyrically to appreciate and Corpus Diavolis makes for another consistent, competent and compelling pillar of its scene.

Verdict: Win [8.25/10]

https://www.corpusdiavolis.com/

Griffon - De Republica (2024)

I think if the last decade of this French black metal scene had arrived at any other point in the past of extreme music, it'd likely have received the due it deserved. Sure, Blut Aus Nord has really broken through with their creepy, masterful and dissonant soundscapes, and maybe Deathspell Omega prods the attention of the unwashed masses once in awhile, but there is such a richness and consistency to a lot of these bands that you wonder why there isn't a bigger stir. Whether they're meting out the Medieval style, or the post-black elements, or the even more avantgarde and gonzo extremes that a Pensées Nocturnes reaches, there are so many strong options out there to fill your earholes and deplete your wallets.

Griffon's another one, and I had enjoyed their Ὸ θεὀς ὸ βασιλεὐς from a few years back, as well as vocalist Aharon's side project A/Oratos more recently. And like those albums, there is a sense for classicism here which is most likely in the first of the three categories I listed above, with an emphasis on 19th century France forward. . This is essentially traditional European black metal, with a huge flair for magnificent melodies that can due justice to its historically-grounded lyrical themes. But De Republica, their third full-length, goes further with the integration of more symphonic components through the keys and choirs and shimmering, rousing acoustics. There's definitely a sense of folksy foundation meets orchestral grandeur which is constantly accompanying the riffs, but to their credit, it doesn't always devolve into mere chugging just to support the weight of this added instrumentation. Even where you could accuse the material of that, like the bridge to "A l'insurrection", the lurching palm mute rhythm is at least weird and goes some places you wouldn't expect with the spoken word and graceful atmosphere.

But when the band is blazing forward, as they are much of the 37 minute play length, there is a lot of strength to the guitars, whether they're bursting out into a tremolo picked pattern or a slower, more spacious and emotional pattern. The drumming is intense, the vocals capable of shifting between the genre's patented rasp and more gloomy cleans that are used for both melodic and narrative support. Even more impressive is just the ambition going into this stuff, you listen through a tune like "The Ides of March" or the slowly escalating titular closer and the band is definitely trying to expand its envelope structurally and rhythmically, to the point that it definitely has a more modern gloss to its atavistic principles. De Republica falls into that category of very well-rounded, black metal experiences which take the form seriously and never fuck around with your time. It might not always strike the most memorable riffs or vocal lines you've heard, but it's summarily driven and impressive, and gives the last album a run for its money.

Verdict: Win [8.25/10]

https://www.facebook.com/griffonblackmetal

A/Oratos - Ecclesia Gnostica (2024)

There's something immediately classicist about French act A/Oratos (not to be confused with the Naas Alchemist project Aoratos), from the sculptured cover imagery to the almost-matching costuming, to the use of Latin and even the musical architecture on exhibit. Dealing heavily with philosophical themes, the vaulted heights and structure of the songwriting here can envelop the listener to stroll the columned halls of antiquity, and it's compositionally intelligent even where it sometimes might fail to stick in the memory. Featuring a few current or former members of countrymen and labelmates Griffon, who themselves have put out some great work in the last few years, Ecclesia Gnostica is both an esoteric and welcoming record thanks to a bold, accessible production standard and a series of peaks and valleys that manifest through its shifts between melodic black metal and acoustics.

The guitars are bright and airy, swathed in a warm but enigmatic chord selection which is often more a consonant than dissonant, tinted with melodies both pensive and nostalgic. They don't exactly embrace an 'evil' aesthetic through the instruments, but the technical performance is impressive enough, with a busy selection of riffs, and a flexible, intense drumming performance that can match every twist in the album's structure. The bass is clean-cut and audible, matching the melodic loops while standing out just enough of its own to increase the robustness. Acoustic guitar sequences are threaded seamlessly throughout bursts of blackened emotion, and there's always a little folkish undercurrent to the flow, and some subtle orchestration through keys, without dipping sandaled toes too far into that direction. Vocally, you get an abrasive rasp, sometimes overloud or monotonous, but complemented by cleaner French chants that help balance it off, almost like spoken word or narration that gives a bit of a ponderous pretense until the band then rolls your face off with a black beast surge.

It definitely feels like an 'Ancient World' spin on the Medieval black metal which is popular with some acts in the French scene...just as involved, textured, and thematically flush with its subject material. The one area Ecclesia Gnostica might lack is in having intensely catchy guitar lines, which would put it over the top...there are literally FLOODs of ideas here, it's a busy work, the component riffs always serving the central, winding aesthetic, but they aren't always molded into earworms. I think the band could better fashion some leads for another layer of atmosphere and complexity. Still, when you take this full-length debut as a whole, it's impressive, it's someone distinct from the band's peers, though I would be very quick to recommend them to fans of Griffon, Aorhlac, Sühnopfer, or especially that great new Pénitence Onirique record Nature morte which recently dropped from the same LADLO imprint this past Fall. Loads of potential, high end production values, a cool niche aesthetic and a maturity beyond their years make A/Oratos worth your time tracking down.

Verdict: Win [8/10]

https://aoratosmusic.bandcamp.com/

RüYYn - Chapter II: The Flames, the Fallen, the Fury

French one-man act RüYYn's debut EP from a couple years back hardly lit my world on fire, not that its wintry and isolated disposition was intended to do so, but it was rather long on the anticipated atmosphere and short on memorable compositions. Still, there was some obvious potential there that has now been followed up through the first 'full length' proper, and right away you can notice a stark elemental difference, fire and fumes and darkness as opposed to the blinding white squalls of its predecessor. Like that debut, the songs here are numerated rather than named, the usual double edged sword which can promote cohesion to the whole via individual anonymity, but also sap the tunes of some level of remembrance in the process...

That is to say, if they are not good, and Chapter II: The Flames, the Fallen, the Fury takes only a few tracks to prove that it's a notable improvement over the prior material, with a heavier sense of loss, emotion and urgency that is cultivated through more distinct riffing and overall songwriting. This is traditional European black metal embellished with the post-modern dissonance and atmospherics that are rather widespread these days, but it's also very well balanced with some spaced out, higher pitched guitars and melodies that capture a sense of longing and melancholy (even right off in the bridge to the first track, "Part I"). The bass has a tangible presence, flooding beneath the streams of chords, and Romain's vocals, which have a little more robustness than your typical rasping, and a good level of sustain when he wants to bark a line out over the desperate, melodic hostility of the guitars and beats.

Although there's the same sort of uniform sense as there was with the debut, I think the tracks here are just set up far better, for example how the first cut breaks away and surges into "Part II" with that great double bass-driven attack. Each ends and begins with a renewed sense of identity and a wonder for the listener at what is going to happen, and to their credit, almost all of these seven pieces is fleshed out rather well with some interesting atmosphere, bleak or brooding trepidation. Where the EP had its limitations, Chapter II is far more of the 'total package' that one can wander through repeatedly, and cements RüYYn as a project to pay attention to amongst the ever-present French BM scene. Not as wild or experimental as a Blut Aus Nord or Deathspell Omega, but also not entirely conventional or predictable.

Verdict: Win [8/10]

https://www.facebook.com/ruyyn.official

Penitencé Onirique - Nature Morte (2023)

Penitencé Onirique is another French black metal act with its post-black influences anchored rather solidly in the more traditional elements of the genre, and their first two records had some great aesthetics when it came to packaging and style, even if the the music itself wasn't constantly winning me over. There was a slight step up in quality between V.I.T.R.I.O.L. and Vestige, and Nature Morte ups their ante yet again with an even more measured and memorable of melody, atmosphere and aggression, not to mention the curious and creepy, thorny floral photography which stands out as a little unique and artsy, yet perfectly melded to the flavor of the songwriting itself.

This one had me right as I got my foot in the door with its excellent intro to "Désir", a swell of percussion and cinematic ambient/orchestration that surged relentlessly into the blasting. It's actually this constant hovering of the symphonic vibe right on the edge of the searing intensity that really rounds out Nature Morte, there is always something tantalizing to the ear, and while I couldn't tell you that every riff is strikingly unique or catchy, there are more than enough to fit that latter category, and the tunes are paced very well to provide potent breaks or balanced against the blazing speed of some of their attack. A spacier, slower tune like the title track works equally well, and allows a little more verve to the bass lines and power to the drawn-out, impassioned rasps, with some really climactic moments that nearly knocked me out of my chair.

There's not a lot of experimentation, necessarily, but for example they have the dramatic instrumental "Lama Sabachthani" which is a lovely respite from the more relentlessly-paced material, and it's just further proof of how well balanced this whole disc is. I was stunned into submission through most of its 46 minutes, the perfect template of tempering a more traditional BM style with epic atmospherics and mildly progressive overtures to keep it present in the listener's conscience, Hands down one of the better French black metal records I've come across this year, and a formidable elevation from the material that preceded it, not that there was anything terribly wrong with that, but if I'm recommending albums from this niche, I'll direct you straight to this as one of the stronger examples in that second tier beneath the more internationally respected (or infamous) groups from that scene. An awesome album and more importantly, a worthwhile experience.

Verdict: Win [8.5/10]

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61552292063281

Aset - Astral Rape (2023)

From its creepy, ritualistic artwork to its atmospheric embellishments, Astral Rape is one of the more haunting new records I've come across lately, and I think part of that is due to the pedigree of its constituents, much of which is unknown. But if you've members of great bands like French Seth or Finnish Oranssi Pazuzu in tow, you are bound to come across something interesting, and interestingly, Aset's debut could be seen as a median between those two styles, the scathing, traditional and melodic and the more psychedelic and terrifying. Above all, though, this is a well structured debut which never overstays its welcome, and though it does occasionally feel a little repetitive in its approach and attack, it's nonetheless unnerving as it goes the entire distance.

Obstensibly black metal on its surface and deep in its core, Astral Rape never feels too confined to those parameters, and there are certainly some precision tremolo picked sequences here which fall a little more directly under the death metal paradigm. But the blasting, incendiary drumming and much of the vibe is clearly from the former. The riffs are quite solid, but often slathered in the dissonance we often associate with the more prominent French black metal bands, however Aset doesn't quite go as far out into the cosmic left field as the recent stuff by Blut Aus Nord. There is a thrashing/black substrate they function off in tunes like "A New Man for a New Age", but what makes this album so thrilling is how it balances off the rapid metallic onslaught with a natural ambiance that is caught both at their most extreme and in the little gaps between. They don't go too far with this to the extent that it ever tampers with the metal itself, but a chant, or a brief cleaner passage ("Astral Dominancy") goes a long way to round out the experience.

The vocals are just gruesome, a blackened rasp but with a lot of weight to it, and there's a lot of attention paid to ghoulish phrasing. I already mentioned the killer drumming, but it's packed with fills and thundering that it might be a pleasure to listen through even void of the other instruments. The bass is likewise quite cool, with a bit more groove and progginess to it, shining especially in the slower segments, where the more pinpoint eeriness of the guitars offers it a great counter-balance. All seven tracks here are sleek and sinister, aggressive but intelligent, a nice balance of the band members' own backlogs, and this one is well worth tracking down as one of the better black metal debuts of the year.

Verdict: Win [8.5/10]

https://aset-magic.bandcamp.com/album/astral-rape

Miasmes - Répugnance (2023)

Although I have no experience with the band's prior EP from last year, I can say without hesitation that Répugnance is, as its title implies, an all out black metal assault with no fucks given. The very look of the album seems almost ambiguous as per genre, it could resemble anything from a grind or death metal, crossover or even an Assück record, but it does actually do justice to the music content itself, which is ripping, raw, and unforgiving violence. One can infer that Miasmes had a (leather-)vested interested in stripping back the genre to its most violent and primitive roots and then building a sound up from there, so it does bear very little resemblance to the more dissonant, atmospheric or Medieval strains of black metal that generally hail from their national scene.

That is NOT to say the music here is dumb in any way, in fact it's fairly well structured with solid riffing patterns, brutal drumming and most importantly, the blazing leads like in the title track "Délivrance" which add a much needed higher, wilder dimension to the ruthlessness. I would trace the lineage here back to savage, belligerent records from bands like Bathory or Marduk, or perhaps Gorgoroth's Destroyer, but it's also a very well balanced record rhythmically, there is little of the endless blasting patterns, they are instead interspersed with cutting middle-paced rhythms that allow the listener to feel the surge once those higher tempos break out. They also do a lot of great stop/start riffing framework which carries a bit of a blackened thrash feel and makes everything that much more exciting and fueled up. The vocals aren't exactly unique, but they've got a nihilistic, raucous thick rasp that splatters itself right up against the bombardment of instruments so that they can be properly noticed.

I can't say that the riffing selections are all that unique, but they certainly through enough of them at you and they almost all serve the songs, you'll clearly hear an old Germanic thrash influence circa Sodom or Kreator of the mid 80s, only clad in the more muscular rhythm section and black metal intensity. The bass lines are good and thick and clobber you alongside the kick drums and rhythm guitars, and there are a number of opportunities where they plod along solo and it's another great technique to keep the feel of the material brash and potent. This is a fun, ugly, barbaric and competent full-length debut, and another gem for the Les Acteurs de l'Ombre imprint which doesn't necessarily emulate any of its other acts.

Verdict: Win [8/10]

https://miasmesofficial.bandcamp.com/

Hyrgal - Session fun​é​raire anno MMXXIII EP (2023)

Hyrgal occupy a pretty solid spot in the second tier of French black metal nowadays, and all three of their albums thus far have been a good listen, in particular 2020's Fin de règne. This new EP allows the band to perhaps dabble a little outside the usual range without the pressure of a proper full-length, and they actually manage to deliver some of their most devastating individual tracks through its 25 minutes, especially the opening 1-2 punch of "Deuil éclair", a breathtaking traditional black metal number with a brief and effective acoustic setup, and then the "Phalanges Assassines" with is a blasting, brutal ear-floss which a mildly more modern sheen that reminded a little of the German band Endstille, until it breaks out with these rousing melodies in the bridge.

And it's all quality from there out too, like the dark, dour crawl of "Gorge Blanche/Surin Noir" which segues into these little acoustics with a bass thrumming around softly and then eruptions of a more jangled, jarring electric tone and leads. This track definitely has more of a familiar feel to French black metal royalty like a Blut Aus Nord or Deathspell Omega. There's also an unsettling pure feedback/noise piece and then a tight cover of Marduk's "Dark Endless", a curious choice since you'd think with the pedigree of Hyrgal they'd shoot for one off one of the subsequent records. However, it's well done, well produced, and ultimately the Session fun​é​raire is a solid release with enough internal variation on its shorter play length to keep you engaged. Potentially the mark of great things to come whenever they get around to their fourth album.

Verdict: Win [8/10]

https://hyrgal.bandcamp.com/

Limbes - Ecluse (2023)

You THINK this album cover gives off the impression of some hand holding, warm emotional blackgaze, until you look a little closer and discover the pin fetish throughout the album package. Ouch! While the music itself certainly doesn't omit the expected atmospheres from its disposition, this is actually quite scathing, suicidal black metal with a vocalist who uses that outrageous, higher rasping and shouting pitch that you'd equate to bands like Burzum or Weakling. It's fucking crazy, but almost mandatory when competing against the fuzzy substrate of tremolo picked guitars and chords which are far more raw than that same packaging of the album might have hinted. In addition, the four tracks here are quite long, some only around 7 minutes but one nearly 10 and the finale 15, so combine that with the skin-peeling distortion and you've got either a headache coming or a revelation...

A little bit of both for me. The album isn't mixed so noisy that it becomes terribly painful, it's just the guitar tone that has been so heavily distorted, and to me elation it actually generates so much of the atmosphere and escapism. The riffs are often straightforward, but threated with these dissonant breaks that really jar you along. The beats are intense, blasting beyond blasting to the point where they become nigh hypnotic, that insane voice the one anchor between you and reality, the notes sizzling and shining even more once you are fully embraced in the grasp of the mechanistic percussion. But I'm going to suggest that this is the default state you need to be in when listening through this, because the rhythms do not have a lot of variety, they are quite straightforward and flooding and violent and if you're looking to be stunned with some melody out of left field, or a segue to hide out in while you wait to rejoin the storm, that just isn't happening for you...

It's absolutely monotonous, it's simply that there is a place and time where this monotony is something I can take a bite out of and enjoy the taste. Transilvanian Hunger is monotonous, after all. But this one strikes you with such a sinister, raucous slew of tones and hostile beats that I can't blame anyone for running far away. In fact, from what I can remember of Limbes previous incarnation, Blurr Thrower, this might be the more aggressive. I wouldn't mind more range here, but the fact is that it almost lulls you into its oblivion, and then when some more glorious, melodic bridge arrives as in "Corridors", it makes it all that much more impactful. It's another of those albums which will feel like you are cleaning the wax out of your ears with barbed wire, but it accomplished what it sets out to.

Verdict: Win [7/10]

https://limbes.bandcamp.com/

Räum - Cursed by the Crown (2023)

Räum is a newer French black metal act which relies heavy on the fundamental shifts created by the riffing patterns, all rather simple and traditional to the genre, but digging into those windy, primordial and melancholic aesthetics and then tearing your face in with them. In many ways, this is one of the more straightforward examples of its style that I've come across lately, but that's not to sell it short...this is not some juvenile attempt at Black Metal 101, but a calculated, harrowing journey into an emotional void which is never too raw, but also not anywhere near overproduced or polished. You still get a little noise and feedback off the sizzling guitars, the rasps are highly atmospheric and bounce around in the middle and upper ends of the environment, and they also will implement some cleaner guitar tones in and about the distortion which make it a more saddening yet lofty experience.

This is also one of those albums with only a handful (minus a thumb) of tracks, ranging from around 7 to 12 minutes, so they've got to pack a lot of space, and they're not doing that with a larger selection of riffs or tempo shifts. Thus there is a reliance of the listener becoming almost hypnotized by the patterns, and I wouldn't say that most of them are strong enough to captivate me to that level. Predictable in terms of where many of the chords or tremolo picked melodies are going to end up, but still rather dramatic and moving in terms of this particular niche. "Beyond the Black Shades of the Sun", the 12 minute finale, probably feels the most expansive in no small part due to its size, and also the most airy and outdoors-feeling, but even there I'm not sure its 'twists' entirely succeed at pulling its weight. That said, Cursed by the Crown isn't bad by any means, it might prove competent enough to offer you a depressingly majestic escape, I just have to be in the mood for this very specific style, and even then I don't know that it would be the first I turn to.

Verdict: Indifference [6.75/10]

https://ladlo.bandcamp.com/album/cursed-by-the-crown