The Baguette Doom Series pt. XIV: 10 inches of doom
For
this edition of the Baguette series, I have an interesting split to
tackle. The 10” features two of the previously reviewed bands of
this series, on one side we have the newcomers of Marble Chariot and
on the other, we have the veterans of Northwinds. The two French
artists both evolve in the traditional doom metal genres but there's
still some differences to be found in their respective approaches.
Side
A – Northwinds – Witchcoven
Wizards
in black, with dark wings on their back
Witchcoven,
mortals are living in fear
The
Parisian quartet's song is a strong slab of folky doom. The eight
minutes number starts with a soft flute intro with a lovely acoustic
guitar and the soft vocals of drummer Sylvain Auvé. I think his
voice, while heavily accented in English, was always a good fit for
the band as it can adapt to both the softer or the heavier side of
their music. After the
calm introduction, the
wind starts blowing and
this music is intertwined with crows
singing their prayers, you
can feel the metal approaching and the riffs are starting to
appear. Northwinds
are masters (of Magic? Read my review for their 2001 album here) at
combining progressive rock, folk à la Jethro Tull and old school
doom metal and this song is no exception. It
rocks hard but still has many prog elements like
this ethereal piano. The
song ends with
a blistering classic metal solo and some synths demonstrating
that they
once again offered a varied trip with the length of one song.
Side
B: Marble Chariot – Darkness Descends
There's
nothing else but shattered dreams
Imploring
eyes questioning me
Sharing
its name with the seminal classic of Dark Angel, this track from the
trio of Bordeaux improves the sound found on their first extended
play (and sole release before this split). They play a totally sad
and crushing version of trad doom mostly inspired by the slow, bass
heavy formula of Reverend Bizarre (one of the main influences in trad
doom these days and that's fine with me). Sébastien Fanton's vocals
are stronger and possess a clearer sense of operatic might than
before, he simply got better in my opinion. There's also some harsh
background vocals included here and it gives a somewhat darker tone
to the track. Another thing the band improved is their pacing issues,
“The Burden is So Heavy” had two ten plus minutes and they were
dragging a little too much and had some uninteresting parts,
“Darkness Descends” is a long song but the riffs, the solos and
everything else are all better. Their doom is honest, well written
and despite the simplistic nature of their identity, it's subtle and
rewarding. I think this is proving that the
band is ready to finally unleash a full length album. They
have the adequate production, the huge bass tone and the miserable
lyrics, come on guys, I'm waiting!
I'm
a bit sad both songs are in English but doom tries to unleash its
despair to every living souls on Earth and the tongue of Shakespeare
is the way to go. Nevertheless, it would had been fun to hear more
French doom in French, you know. Outside of this linguistic matter,
it's a strong split with two very good tracks. They
fit very well together even though Northwinds is usually much
more serene and almost joyful at times while their companion here are
totally about loving misery and despair. This split is
showcasing a band at the peak of their art with Northwinds and one
that's becoming pretty damn good at theirs with Marble Chariot.
Thanks
to Marble Chariot for the vinyl.
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