Phobocosm - Bringer of Drought (2016) / 80%

Bringer of depressive death metal

Phobocosm has been the best Montréal death metal band for a while and their second full length will simply solidify their reputation as the band (who’s not Gorguts) to beat as far as Québec death metal is concerned. Québec, unfortunately for some, is still a Canadian province and the country creates a ton of interesting tenebrous extreme metal bands right now such as Mithochondrion.

Compared to their super good debut album Deprived, Bringer of Drought expands on the atmospheric side of the band with these longer compositions. The four songs/35 minutes album is an exercise of both restraint and pure unbridled aggression. Their core composed of occult cavernous death metal is still at its place but there’s definitely a large dose of post metal aesthetics (Neurosis is one of the favorite bands of their main composer) and of the atonal dissonance of Ulcerate. Admittedly, I thought the album was a bit too short for the genre represented here but since their music is so demanding and exhausting, it was a good decision. Albums are often too long nowadays anyway.

Colin Marston (Krallice, Gorguts, etc...) is in charge of the production and while I think he’s often too clinical, he really did a great job for those guys. The vocals are voraciously deep, the guitars flexible with their aerial interpretation of Immolation and those long songs really benefit from this airy yet totally obscure and clean mix. Legit band.

Thanks to Dark Descent Records for the promo copy.

Soon on tour with Mitochondrion and Auroch / Also playing the Maryland Death Fest

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Graveyard Dirt – My Scourge, My Dirt (2015) / 77%

In the Sleep of Death

Alongside Mourning Beloveth (who are kings), this band is the best the country of Ireland has to offer as far as doom/death is concerned. It’s a shame that they had so many issues during their career and only managed to release one full length and 3 Eps/demos, this is their latest record released last year and like all their stuff it’s pretty damn great. In fact, Ireland has produced so many good bands for such a small scene, Primordial remains one of the best act on the planet.

Obviously inspired by the Peaceville three from the other side of the Celtic Sea (or the Irish Sea), you can definitely hear the influence of early Paradise Lost and My Dying Bride here and their music has always been almost as good as “Turn Loose the Swans” or “Gothic”, their 2007 extended play “Shadows of Old Ghosts” is particularly stellar. This one, while not as interesting (perhaps due to the passage of time), is still immensely good and I hope they’re working on a new album. I do think their genre is somewhat exhausting though, For Grace or Damnation is a decent album but one hour of despair is sometimes hard to digest. I think their approach works better with a shorter format as it’s music highly related to a particular, exhausting mood. Some bands, never mind their quality, just don’t work as well for an extended period of time, Graveyard Dirt are possibly one of them. It’s probably why I think this EP is just the right dose! The album is divided in two sections, two shorter tracks start the album and it concludes with the longer number and it never gets too much or boring.

If you’re familiar with doom/death, you’ll be right at home here. Their formula is a bit like MDB at their heaviest (see “The Dreadful Hours”), it’s long songs full of romanticism, varied vocal approaches and an inviting dark mood, you really want to dress like a 1450 English nobleman who just visits the grave of his dead wife everyday while you’re listening to ‘em.

Paul Leyden simply freaking rocks at the mic, his clean vocals are more ballsy than Aaron Stainthorpe and his harsh vocals are even better than those of the old version of Thomas Gabriel Fischer. In fact the last track “The Sirens Refrain” sounds like a more natural rendition of Triptykon’s gothic extreme metal. While the musicianship has nothing to be ashamed of (it’s pretty solid), he’s the best thing about this band.

While it’s certainly nothing groundbreaking for 2015, it’s well done doom that will surely please any fans of ballsy sad guy metal. It’s still better than Pallbearer! Basically mix the Peaceville sound with modern Tom G. Warrior ughs and you got the sound of Graveyard Dirt.

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Metal Bounty Hunter: Volume 5

Karnon – Le temps sombre (2016) / 68%

Nah, it doesn’t sound like Agalloch

The Montréal quartet’s first release is a combination of modern melodic black metal, death metal, some progressive sludge/post-metal influences and metalcore. The most interesting thing about them is definitely the pagan theme explored throughout the French lyrics, it’s like a modern version of Belenos or just dudes like me who grew while reading Astérix comic books. I’d say this mythological angle is a welcome change from similar bands who generally have generic lyrics about life or something.

Musically, it’s not really my cup of tea. While I dig some of their influences (or used to, at least), the blend of sounds seems a bit artificial to me. At times, it’s like injecting the cold, mechanical sound of The Ocean to modern Immortal and while it’s mostly enjoyable and has well crafted riffs and guitar leads, it’s not something I’ll go back to. Also, I think that their shortest track “Vierge noire” with its Amon Amarth feel was more pertinent than the other, possibly more epic tracks.

The drumming is solid, the production and compositions are truly professional but Karnon is a band that’s developing its identity and should continue to do so. Nevertheless, if you dig melodic death/black with a pagan (non folk!) vibe, this is for you.

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Black Lung – See the Enemy (2016) / 76%

No bass, no problem

This trio from Maryland plays a vivid sort of psych doom/stoner with very groovy guitar riffs and buried, clean vocals. There’s some stoner bands who don’t have guitars and only rely on bass hooks (see Zaum) but Black Lung decided to go with two electric guitars instead. The rhythms are still infections since the instruments are downtuned as hell. “Crooked Fingers” basically sounds early Danzig turned psych stoner and it’s lovely. I haven’t heard their debut album but apparently it was softer and not metal like this one, nevertheless they still have some rock influences such as some balladesque parts of “Priestess”.

Their guitar tone is solid, they have sweet ass leads and the mix and mastering are well done but they lack a certain originality to distinguish themselves in this saturated doom/stoner world. If you like the genre and you’re always looking for another band to enjoy, check ‘em out, it’s fun stuff.

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Gargoyle – Reborn in Blasphemy (2016) / 74%

Lo-fi horror

"Have you heard the new Gargoyle?" asked my Swedish friend.

“The Japanese band?” I replied.

“Nah, this new Italian doom band”
“Ohhh ok”

And this is how I’ve discovered this quartet from Calabria, great story, right? Well, I can assure you that their music is a bit more interesting... Following in the footsteps of the horror doom masters Abysmal Grief, their music is occult dirges showing how dark and obscure the traditional doom genre can actually get.

The three songs are lo-fi doom with hints of blackened metal and distortion. The production is on more on the amateurish side than any doom I’ve heard this year but it fits the dark aura the songs go for quite well, I’d still would be curious to hear them with a solid production, one which could highlight their forces even more. Just find a larger cavern to record, guys. The vocals are somewhat harsh and were probably recorded in an underground cave or the small bathroom of one of their moms, there’s a lot of reverb and it fits the current occult black/death/doom movement. They don’t mess around with their compositions either, they’re kept relatively short and to the point, something that many of their peers don’t or just can’t do. Solid first release.

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Wretched Wizard – Empty Throne (2016) / 75%

Primitive Men

This young Ohioan duo just released their first album, a 19 minutes forray into aggresssive style shattering metal. On these eight songs, they go from hard hitting sludge to stoner/doom and metallic hardcore and they often do that on the same song. There’s a primitive, almost southern-ey influence as well as it’s not just heavy, it’s also atmospheric and some ideas could benefit from extraneous moments. I thought the short one minute interlude was cool but, yeah, it was only one minute.

I liked the loud production on the drums and guitars but the vocals are grating, not that they’re bad, the harsh growls are full of venom and spite as you could expect from a band like them but they’re much too predominant in the mix and frankly a bit hard to handle.

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Illusions Dead - Celestial Decadence (2016) / 81%

Death/black metal à la Finn

I used to dig melodic death metal a lot when I was getting into metal, I know I’m not an unique snowflake or anything but I really liked Dark Tranquillity (still do even if their latest two albums were mediocre) and the good stuff of In Flames before they were ruined forever. Nevertheless, this genre is pretty stale and unsurprising these days though, most of the legendary players are either retired, goddamn awful or playing it too safe and the young veterans and newcomers try to mix things up but it doesn’t work well most of the time (I’m looking at you, Ghost Brigade). Finland’s Illusions Dead like many of their compatriots are combining genres but they do it in a compelling and interesting way.

Their music could be described by dividing it into these four main components:

1) Firstly, the old school death metal aspect of their music is not overshadowed by the presence of dull unctuous and easily marketable by Nuclear Blast melodeath. You can definitely here the influence of proto technical death masters Immolation in the guitar playing of band leader Johannes Katajamäki (who unsurprinsingly wear a shirt of Ross Dolan’s band on his Metal Archives page). His vocal approach is also quite cavernous and would fit the compositions of most pure death metal bands.

2) Secondly, there’s also a large amount of Scandinavian melodic eath metal elements on Illusions Dead’s album. There’s the intensity of At the Gates and they mix mighty riffs with an added melodic flair to them, it’s not exactly melodic death metal per se, I mean it’s not freaking Insomnium and I’m glad they’re not or else I’d be too sleepy to finish this review. It’s death metal that’s melodic, a genre that Argholescent of Intestine Baalism. The guitars stay incicisive but they give a lot of variety to the listeners and it’s all because the parts are well composed and played, there’s no gimmicks here. A good example of the melodic side of the Finns would be the track “Shadow and Flame”

3) Thirdly, there’s some 90s melodic black metal here, it’s not just death metal even if this genre is the predominant ingredient of their metal. It’s hard to pinpoint the influences but it’s there, I don’t see the need to namedrop several other bands here!

4) Finally, being from Finland, they just couldn’t resist the famous melodic death/doom sound and they had to incorporate some of this style into their debut album. The longest song of the record “Revolution (Celestial Spheres)” turns into a mournful affair after a rapid start. It’s a good slow death metal track!

Celestial Decadence is a strong debut album, it shows a high level of musicianship paired with an ear for efficient songwriting and a “less is more” approach.

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Cantique Lépreux – Cendres célestes (2016) / 81%

Trilogie noire québécoise

Tome III: Paysage d'hiver

Thanks to Eisenwald for the promo copy

I’ve never really liked Chasse-Galerie, they’re not a bad band at all but I think they’re too boring and play it safe, I wasn’t quite convinced by their live presence either. Considering this, I was a bit skeptic when I got this album in my inbox but I was surprised by how much I liked this new project of three of their members (also members of Forteresse or Au-delà des ruines). While it’s not a perfect debut album, there’s enough quality here to please most black metal fans. They’re not yet in the Québec black metal elite but they could very well be soon enough.

Soundwise, this album is the shiiit, the production is just icy and clean enough to make the songwriting shine and just raw enough to give it the necessary atmosphere. To be fair, I was expecting something akin to Paysage d’hiver when I saw the cover. The vocals of Blanc Feu are perfect for the genre, crispy yet tenebrous and just buried enough to give them the rightful snowy cavern feeling. The guitars are also very well produced and aren’t exactly that typical for the genre, there’s even some surprising, insane soloing (such as in “Transis). Considering they took the time to start a new band, I do think they didn’t do enough stuff to truly distinguish themselves from the masses. I was expecting something more epic and grandiose (not that it isn’t) but I do dig the (somewhat) melodic and (somewhat) peculiar approach they took with Cendres célestes (Celestial Ashes). They didn’t use all into the usual tropes of QCBM and that’s something that we see more and more in the Québec’s scene nowadays. Many bands are leaving their old tricks (winter, nationalism) behind and they’re taking a different, often more occult, direction. Gevurah or Délétère are good examples of this new trend.

I think this project has a lot of potential and that’s something that the excellent German label Eisenwald also saw (Csejthe and Grimoire, two of the best Québec bands ever are/were signed there). Even if I think that the compositions lacked a certain abtract component that I can’t really pinpoint, it’s solid material and it’s highly recommmended.

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Neige et Noirceur – Les ténèbres modernes (2016) / 88%

Trilogie noire québécoise

Tome II: 1914-1918

Thanks to Sepulchral Productions for the promo copy

Neige et Noirceur has been one of the most interesting bands in the Québec black metal underground since its inception in 2005 and the solo project has seen its fair share of evolution throughout the years. After a decade or so, gone are the extra long ambient explorations the project was known for (such as the excellent "La seigneurie des loups"), this album is a compact experience and it works very well. Their previous album, the occult "Gouffre onirique et abîmes cosmiques" was already showcasing signs of streamlined compositions and, in my opinion, the 2014 release could be seen as a transitional effort, albeit a strong one.

Even though the lyrical theme and concept of Les ténèbres modernes (The Modern Darkness) aren't quite on the original side as far as historical approaches are concerned, the band really managed to craft an interesting, captivating and in-depth observation of World War I and its numerous complexities. The intent was to write a highly mechanical album in relation to the chaotic aspects of the Great War, which was one of the first truly modern conflicts of importance.

Tracks like “Walpurgis 1917” are recalling the tank-like energy of Marduk at their fastest but even if the traditional black metal identity has a larger place on this album than on their previous ones, they’re still not a “normal” band for their genre. During the forty minutes trip back to 1914-1918, we’ve served numerous ambient, experimental moments with a wide array of tactics such as alarms, industrial bits (the song “Felgrau”), voices in German or French (the spectacular outro “Adieux” with its insane violin samples). I can definitely see a similarity with the French band N.K.V.D. as they also mixed war history with black metal and industrial touches. The second half of the album really goes into an insane, demented direction and I think that’s a good analogy for the first World War. People were saying that the war would be short (three or four months) but it lasted a thunderous and violent four years, the life in trenches made the soldiers mad and the mustard gas were suffocating them and the insanity of Neige et Noirceur’s conceptual music only grew in intensity till you’ve reached the end of their essay.

The vocals of guest vocalist Chimère Noire (artist for Portal, Phobocosm, Abyssal...) are deeper and more cavernous than those of sole composer known as Sion Daus on this album, I’d say that they’re one of the most accessible (accessible as far as black metal is concerned!) aspects of the music showcased here. The production is just raw enough, a clean one would had not been adequate for the songwriting and thematics, it needed to have some dirt.

While they were mostly writing about Québec’s heritage viewed with occultism and darkness (such as nationalist hymn “Croix de feu, croix de fer” back in 2010), I feel this new full length has this international vibe that could really help them gain more (well deserved) exposure. Even if the material could be viewed as more marketable and less epic, it’s no less ground breaking and worthwhile. Neige et Noirceur has written their most violent and interesting album to date.

Forteresse - Thèmes pour la Rébellion (2016) / 85%

Trilogie noire québécoise

Tome I: 1837-1838

Thanks to Sepulchral Productions for the promo copy

Forteresse, possibly the most famous Québec black metal band, celebrates its 10^th year anniversary this year and to celebrate they’re releasing their fifth album on the Québec national holiday, the Saint-Jean-Baptiste. June 24^th is certainly a fitting date to release this new opus written by this group of well known nationalists. The band has always stuck to their guns (or muskets) but the formula has changed now and I think it fits the chosen theme.

Their first compositions since the excellent split Légendes released with three of their metal noir brethren, the songs on Thèmes are much more aggressive than before. It’s perhaps their less subtle album to date and this applies both to the musical and the conceptual sides of the album. I think the tragic and violent aspects of the Patriots rebellions of 1837-1838 deserved an added dose of vitriol and that’s exactly what the guys did. The ambient and atmospheric moments have been toned down a lot and there’s a big emphasis on riff-based songs, the tracks hit harder than before and the production is much more clean and complete than it was before since it was produced at the well known Necromorbus Studio in Sweden. Now acting as a full band with four members, you can actually hear the difference in the way the songs are played and composed, it feels more complete and natural. The founding members Athros (vocals) and Moribond (guitars, bass) are once again joined by Fiel (sole member of the excellent Grimoire) and Matrak (Chasse-Galerie, Cantique Lépreux) who adds a second guitar to the mix. The musicianship is top-notch for this kind of métal.

While the guitars are crunchier and faster than before, Forteresse still manage to write compelling songs full of atmosphere but nevertheless, the ambient personality of the band has been replaced by this sort of epic black metal identity. The line between epic and atmospheric/ambient is sort of abstract and arbitrary. The solid mix and mastering definitely helped them to achieve their vision for this patriotic album.

A concept often linked to epicness is cheesiness and I do think Forteresse were always on the cheesier side of black metal with their olde tyme violin samples (such as the ones on Métal noir québécois. While there’s no violins or folk elements on Thèmes, there’s still some fermented milk to be found. Le sang des héros starts with a sample about the Rébellions from Épopée en Amérique, a great documentary that I’ve actually used to teach Québec history in my classes. I thought it was quite funny but it’s an anecdotal and personal experience, I guess!

There’s an overarching theme throughout the album and it’s related to the illustration in which we see Québec City in flames. The way I’m interpreting the cover art is that they used the 1760 conquest of New France by the British as a prelude to the rébellions of the 1830s. During the album, we’re served samples of fiery winds and the whole excellent ambient outro ending the sad and tragic tale recalling this sombre period of Québec’s history is strong winds intertwined with delicate keys, one of the sole soothing moments on this busy, intense record.

All in all, it’s difficult to say where I’d place this album in Forteresse’s discography, while I think Thèmes would benefit from more variety, it’s surely their tightest and most cohesive work to date

The band will release the album in Québec City with Cantique Lépreux (Tome III of this series) and Délétère in June. I'm possibly planning a roadtrip to go see that.
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