france

Your black metal album of the decade

by Cosmo Lee The readers of this site have voted Deathspell Omega‘s Si Monumentum Requires, Circumspice (Norma Evangelium Diaboli, 2004) the black metal album of the decade. I prefer the more fully-formed Kénôse, but the sound of a band finding itself can be thrilling. Odium Nostrum Such was the case with SMRC, which along with […]

Debemur Morti: Take Five

If you know black metal, you probably know Debemur Morti. The French label, along with its distro Eitrin Editions, has been a bastion of quality, with bands including Horna, Archgoat, Spektr, and Old Wainds. It also handles European distribution for many Moribund releases. Debemur Morti recently put out five records which amount to an embarrassment […]

Merrimack - "In the Halls of White Death"

Warning: Extremely NSFW . . . Most metal music videos fail to live up to the music. If they’re not completely uninspired (hello, band playing in a warehouse/the woods/on stage), they’re downright goofy (hello, Immortal). There are a few diamonds in the rough, whether through novel concepts or proficient execution. Mastodon, Cannibal Corpse, and Amon […]

Overmars - Born Again

How’s this for a dream band: Neurosis + PJ Harvey + Godflesh. France’s Overmars have made this happen without marquee names. Yet they put to shame most of what passes for doom and sludge now. They channel Swans through Godflesh: first gear all the way. But whereas prime Godflesh was purely crushing, Overmars flatten you, […]

Gorod - Process of a New Decline

Technical death metal often suffers from a lack of melody. Musicians working within the genre tend to focus on chops. But France’s Gorod impresses with a balance of speed and complexity. On their newest album, the band wisely injects tunefulness into the equation. Guilty of DispersalSplinters of Life Credit goes to new drummer Samuel Santiago […]

Merrimack - Grey Rigorism

France’s Merrimack aren’t that old. They formed in the mid-’90s and saw sporadic action until three albums in the ’00s. But on Grey Rigorism [Moribund/Osmose, 2009], they’ve matured. In black metal, “maturation” is hazardous. It usually involves slicker production and signing to bigger labels. Part of black metal’s appeal was its youth — kids who […]

Celeste - Misanthrope(s)

It’s interesting how hardcore punk colonized sludge/doom metal, starting with Neurosis. Then came Isis, Old Man Gloom, and the late-’90s Boston/Hydra Head/Deathwish, Inc. scene. The result was bands that sound metal, but that probably have short hair. Europe got this bug hard — see Cult of Luna, Callisto, Knut, Burst, The Ocean, and so on. […]

She's a maniac

I recently watched Flashdance for the first time. It is one of the greatest movies I have ever seen. Even though it is not very good, it is great. Never mind its two-dimensional characters, formulaic arc (a straight line), or that it would spawn Save the Last Dance with the addition of hip-hop and jungle […]

Glorior Belli - Meet Us at the Southern Sign

In 2005, Glorior Belli made a raw, promising debut in Ô Laudate Dominvs. Two years later, they polished their sound on the bland Manifesting the Raging Beast (reviewed here). Now the French outfit redeems itself with one of this year’s more intriguing black metal records. The production is still precious, but vocalist/guitarist Infestvvs seems to […]

Amesoeurs - Self-Titled

There’s likely at least one metal band for everyone who appreciates music pointed in a different direction. Amesoeurs are one of those bands. Joy Division and Peste Noire fans alike can find something to digest here. Never mind properly pronouncing the name or making sense of French lyrics. Amesoeurs translate enough with their meshed black […]
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