Alcest: Spiritual Instinct (2019)

This album made it to third place on my Albums of the Year list, so I am going to spoil the end of the review by saying that I love this album.  It is however, the biggest surprise from that list, because I never thought that I would truly enjoy an Alcest album.  That is how good this album really is.  It made it past any preconceived notions I had about this band.

The reason for my skepticism about Alcest is their status as one of the leading bands in the mostly regrettable "blackgaze" subgenre, which includes bands like Deafheaven.  The bands combine black metal with ultra-mellow indie rock.  Previous releases from Alcest have been so mellow and focused on the less metal aspects as to be mostly unlistenable to me.  So I never really thought this album would be up my alley.  But then I heard "Protection" and "Sapphire".

What makes this release so impressive is the renewed focus on the more metal aspects.  There are black metal screams here as well as a far more aggressive riffing style.  But it fits in seemlessly with the lush, ethereal and melancholic melodies.  The result is a dark album that is at the same time breathlessly beautiful.  The only downside is that it drags just a little bit in the second half, but the first half is utterly flawless.

I was blown away by this release.  I still highly doubt I will enjoy much of their prior material, and I am by no means going to start checking out other blackgaze bands.  But this album is indeed incredible. 

High Power: High Power (1983)

Ah, the 80's.  Only that decade could have produced such an atrocious album cover.  I am not even sure what is going on here.  Is this a man transforming into a were-leopard-like creature?  I have no idea, but this cover is just laughably bad.  Of course I had to check it out.

High Power is a French metal band whose sound seems rooted in the NWOBHM style taking over Europe in the late 1970's/early 1980's.  This is their first album, which is something of a forgotten gem that has recently been unearthed.  The music is fairly typical for the era, high-energy, raucous riffs, catchy hooks and soaring vocals.  It sounds largely like a mix between Accept and Judas Priest.  A sound that was fairly popular at this time period.

So why is this album so forgotten?  This album likely had a very limited market, even though it could have caught on with the trend in music at the time.  The reason for this is quite simple: all the lyrics and song titles are in French.  Something like that simply would not have attained mainstream success at that point in time.  There have been the occasional mainstream foreign language songs, but they were often treated as a novelty and not had much staying power.  So High Power likely would not have been able to reach mainstream success unless they started playing in English, they could have attained more of a following.  Alas, they never did, and after a follow-up album in 1986, disbanded.

This album is something of a curiosity, a band who could have done a little more if not for one detail.  It is a fun album to listen to, due to the high energy of the performances, particularly if in the mood for early 1980's-style metal.  Unless lyrics are important. 

Deathbell: With the Beyond (2019)

Well this one seems sort of appropriate for Halloween.  It is definitely eerie-sounding and sounds like it would fit in well as the soundtrack for some 1970's schlocky horror b-movie.  You know the kind, with the really bad fake blood and despicable characters all around.  Movies that tried to be the next occult and evil.  That is what this album sounds like to me.

Deathbell is a French doom metal band, and when I say doom metal, I mean true doom metal.  The music is clearly influenced by groups like Electric Wizard, The Reverend Bizarre and Black Sabbath (particularly the eponymous song for which the song "Come You to Trouble" features a very similar opening).  The songs are slow, with lumbering, hypnotic riffs.  Even though many of the songs are quite lengthy, they never really seem that long.  That is due mostly to the ability of the band to craft intriguing riffs.

The vocals deserve mention as well, as they are perhaps the most interesting aspect of the album.  The vocals are clean and recorded in an almost distant fashion, as if they are rising from an empty tomb.  They are haunting, particularly on "Over the Rim".

Deathbell essentially sounds like a combination of Black Sabbath and Electric Wizard (though without the psychedelia) and with a female singer.  It is an eerie album with a lot of great, doom-laden riffs.  Doom metal has been going through a renaissance of sorts over the last several years.  Groups like Deathbell are a good reason why.

Ataraxie: Résignés (2019)

I talked about slam the other day, so now it is time to talk about one of my other favorite subgenres: funeral doom metal.  It seems to be a little easier to find funeral doom metal bands these days than it is to find slam death metal.  A lot of that has to do with the fact that generally bands like Ahab, Evoken and Bell Witch have been embraced by the metal press whereas most slam bands are shunned.  That is not necessarily surprising as slam death is often violent and can oftentimes be misogynistic whereas funeral doom is neither of those things and is often thoughtful and powerful.  I first got into funeral doom through nautical-themed German band Ahab and things kind of sprouted from there.  One of my favorite albums is the Lovecraftian horror-drenched sole release by Catacombs and I am always on the lookout for something similar.

That brings us to the French band Ataraxie, who I am hearing for the first time despite the band having been around for nearly 20 years now.  Ataraxie's particular brand of funeral doom metal is often complemented by influences from early death/doom metal bands like Paradise Lost or Morgion.  It is at times atmospheric and at others rumbles along like an oncoming thunderstorm.  The songs are lengthy, as is the album, with just four songs and clocking in at nearly and hour and a half in length.  But each song has several rather distinct sections that keeps things moving and interesting.  The album is never boring despite its length. 

The most interesting track on the album, and a bit of a microcosm for the album as a whole is the stunning title track.  Early on in the song, Ataraxie embarks on a crushing riff that would make death/doom pioneers like Asphyx envious, complete with sepulchral croaking vocals.  They then follow that up with a sweeping melodic section which cleanses the palate just enough to lead into ominous thundering drums and riffs leading into an absolutely chaotic climax before everything crumbles back into the void.  It is at once beautiful and devastating.  And the band picks up the pieces just to do it all over again on the next track.

Ataraxie's album is a glimpse into what is so compelling about funeral doom metal.  It is cold and harsh and absolutely bleak, but at times a strange melody shines through and there is something truly breathtaking about it.  This is a terrific example of the genre done right.  Ataraxie should be held up with the leaders in the genre and it is a shame that they are so unknown at this time.

Massacra: Enjoy the Violence (1991)

As far as extreme metal goes, France is mostly known for its black metal.  On top of the LLN bands of the 1990's, there is also Deathspell Omega, Blut Aus Nord and others.  Of course, France has also produced some great metal in other genres.  Gojira is probably the most well-known French metal band.  One thing that does seem to be somewhat lacking though is thrash metal.  Massacra, likely named after the Hellhammer song, though was one of the leading thrash metal bands with a raw and savage sound that bordered on death metal.

On their sophomore release, Massacra's sound most closely resembles bands that were just starting to skirt the line between thrash and death metal.  Possessed's Seven Churches and Morbid Angel's Altars of Madness are the closest albums to this sound, though Massacra does not possess quite the razor-sharp riffs as the other two bands.  The songwriting is also not quite on par, but the band makes up for these minor deficiencies with their aggression.  This is nasty and savage thrash metal with vocals that are closer to the earlier death metal bands. 

Most of the songs are fast-paced and short with rampaging riffs and shredding solos.  The track "Full of Hatred" though stands out as more of a mid-paced stomp that rivals the doomier moments of Morbid Angel's "God of Emptiness".

This is a terrific album that is something of an underrated gem.  Part of this is due to the limited scene Massacra came from.  But it is one that should not be missed for fans of early death metal or the more brutal strains of thrash metal.

Profundae Libidines: Procès de Sorcellerie (2019)

One day, back in either high school or college, my friend and I had just left Valentino's (a local pizza place) after picking up a carry out order that my parents had placed.  My friend was carrying one of the bags as we were about to get into my car and one of the containers of  French dressing fell out and splattered all over the ground.  Upon seeing this, my friend remarked that it was doomed to fail, because it was French.

Now, why the hell did I tell that story?  Well, mostly because this is my blog and I can do whatever the fuck I like with it.  The other reason is to illustrate that despite being the butt of jokes in the past, I fucking love French metal, particularly black metal.  A number of terrific black metal bands have come from France, including Vlad Tepes, Belkètre,  and Mütiilation, all of whom were part of Les Lègiones.  And then there is the avant-garde Deathspell Omega.  So, I am always on the lookout for some good French black metal.  I was not actively seeking out Profundae Libidines however, this particular album was a freebie in the order that I placed to get yesterday's subject Question and the band that will be covered tomorrow.  But I am happy to get this as a throw-in.

Profundae Libidines is the brainchild of Philoxera, who has done work with a number of other extreme metal bands.  This is primarily his project, although he does enlist help with violins.  Hey, he can't do everything can he?  The sound of Profundae Libidines seems to be rooted in the more melodic and atmospheric tracks of groups from the LLN, and in particular the later material by Mütiilation, with a little DsO thrown in.  It is melodic, for the most part, with repeating tremolo riffs and mostly slower pace.  The songs often feature clean vocals delivered in a sort of chanting tone which work well with the more common raspy vocals typical of black metal.  The whole thing has kind of an odd, off-kilter feel to it that keeps things interesting and fresh, which is necessary when the album is almost an hour long.  There are some sections that are just plain bizarre, such as the bouncy intro to "Les enfants de Veith-Pratzer".  But these sections add a lot of character to something that could just as easily descend into typical black metal tropes.

I have had kind of mixed luck with albums that were thrown into other orders.  There have been some less than impressive ones and others that just do not do much for me personally.  (Goatkraft, Venomous Concept).  This is undoubtedly one of the better ones.  I quite like it.  It fits in well with other French black metal bands.

Witchfinder: Witchfinder (2017)

With a name that references either a Cathedral song, a Vincent Price movie, or one of the original doom metal bands, you can bet that this is going to be some form of doom metal.  And then there is the hazy-looking band logo and thus stoner doom becomes the obvious conclusion to be drawn.  And so it is with France's Witchfinder.

This is just a four-song album, but each song lasts somewhere around ten minutes.  Witchfinder's influences are pretty clear right from the first fuzzed-out riff.  Take a little Cathedral, mix in some of the most psychedelic offerings from Electric Wizard, some Dopesmoker-era Sleep and a whole shitload of weed and voila, Witchfinder.  The songs are slow dirges with spacy, bass-heavy riffs and smoky vocals that sound like they were recorded in a cave.  Every so often, the band throws in a curve, like the crunchy mid-paced riff early in "Smoke a Weed Prayer", but by and large this is a band emulating the reefer madness of the aforementioned Sleep and Electric Wizard.

Despite the fact that I have never (and I mean absolutely never) used marijuana, or any other drug besides alcohol in fact, in my life, I absolutely love stoner doom.  At least when it is done well.  Witchfinder is highly derivative of some of the genre legends, but that does not mean that they do not do a damn fine job.  There may be no real discernible difference between this and Dopethrone, but it is still damn fun to listen to.  That's all I really want from my metal.

Mütiilation: Sorrow Galaxies (2007)

In the early to mid 1990's, France was the home to a wave of black metal bands.  Calling themselves Les Légions Noires (The Black Legions), the members frequently collaborated together and formed and re-formed in a variety of lineups to make up different bands.  The common thread between the bands was raw recording quality.  Very few of the bands stood the test of time ultimately.  A few of them made lasting impressions.  Groups like Bèlketre, Torgeist and Vlad Tepes released well-regarded albums.  Mütiilation fit in with those bands as well.

This is just the second Mütiilation release I have heard, after their legendary album (and perhaps the single most widely-known LLN release) Vampires of Black Imperial Blood.  They are also probably the longest-lasting LLN group, running on and off until 2017 or so.  Mütiilation was made up of one primary member, Meyhna'ch, and the occasional session musician.  After the height of the LLN, Mütiilation went on to gradually change and mature their sound. 

And this all takes us to Mütiilation's 2007 release, their sixth full-length album.  To date, this is the band's last full-length album and Meyhna'ch has only released an EP, a compilation of rare demos and a split with Drowning the Light and Satanic Warmaster.  It is not an easy album to get into.  As is typical for the style, there is nothing melodic or pretty here.  Even the slower parts are characterized by Meyhna'ch's tortured howling and atonal guitar chords.  The faster parts meanwhile consist primarily of tremolo riffing and pounding drums.  This is the first Mütiilation release to feature a live drummer instead of a drum machine, which is a big help.  The songs are long, each of them eclipsing the nine-minute mark, and they feature a number of tempo changes, which does help to keep from losing the attention of the listener.  But with just four songs, and of such a length, it is not easy to just turn the album on as background music. 

I still think I prefer the more raw, primal sound Mütiilation produced on their earlier releases.  The band has managed to improve their sound somewhat, while not completely turning against their roots.  Unfortunately, this album just does not have the same morbid charm as the earlier material.  Maybe if there were some shorter songs mixed in, it would have a different feel.  Mütiilation is definitely not for everyone.  This is a challenging release, but I have found that I like it quite a bit.  Just not as much as their earlier material.

My Favorite Metal Band from France: Yyrkoon

I had a little bit of a tough time deciding my favorite metal band from France. I do not listen to a lot of bands from the country very much and, in fact, there is not a single band from France that I have more than one album from. So, it basically came down to which album is my favorite and that went to Yyrkoon's album, even over Deathspell Omega, Gojira, and the LLN albums. Yyrkoon is a vastly underrated death metal band that has really not built up much of a following at all. Which is very unfortunate. I almost never see any mention of this band anywhere. I can't be the only one who has heard of them. So, death metal fans, do yourself a favor and check out Yyrkoon.

NOTABLE SCENES: Les Legions Noires

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Belketre
Deathspell Omega
Gojira
Mutiilation
Nightmare
Vlad Tepes