De Profundis

Jesus fucking Christ I love French black metal. It must be something in their water, or maybe they've got special oxygen that the rest of us aren't allowed to inhale. The Black Legions, loved by few, hated by many, insignificant to most, put France on the map for raw, ultra-harsh and bleak cult black metal back in the 90's with their mass of demos and bootlegs and impossible-to-find official releases. In the later 90's and early 00's, other French metal acts such as Antaeus, Blut Aus Nord, and Deathspell Omega undoubtedly did a lot to help France solidify its position as a country fully capable of exporting quality metal. Peste Noire belongs on any list of notable metal acts from France, and by now should be placed toward the top in terms of ambition and ability.

While the Black Legions are long gone and traditional old-school black metal from France isn't its prize export, bands such as Deathspell Omega, Blut Aus Nord and Peste Noire make France a powerhouse in terms of giving birth to interesting, innovative, amazing bands.

Peste Noire's story begins in 2000 but I'm not going to tell it. Following their barrage of demos released through the first half of the decade, they put together their first full length which was remarkable. It took everything good about black metal, highlighted the dark and beautiful and disgusting and somber elements and dominated the world. I don't care if you didn't hear it. It dominated the world. It should stand as a black metal milestone, something to measure other modern black metal works of greatness by.

Then, about a year ago (I know this review is a bit late), they released their third full length. It differs greatly from the debut, La Sanie des siècles - Panégyrique de la dégénérescence, very significantly. However, even with its diverse influences and stylistic choices, it's still noticeably Peste Noire.

Atmosphere and ambience are still of utmost importance here, and Famine has created a monster overflowing with these ingredients. This is a devastating creation that sounds just as a band called Peste Noire (The Black Plague, in English) should sound - it summons imagery of plagues, disaster, medieval morbidity, and tragic hopelessness while also sounding heroic, triumphant, and darkly demonic.

Black metal has never been a genre that plays well with traditional song structures, but Peste Noire's songwriting throws out any and all conventional standards and re-invents the wheel. This new wheel rolls with flames and spikes and leaves plagues in its dust. The songs build to haunting climaxes and then may descend to the depths of hell only to show us that the previous peak was nothing compared to what it's about to show us. Though the songs are unpredictable, the entire album flows extremely well and feels like a concept album with overlying themes being tied together between each song. This may be the case, though since I can't read French I am not entirely sure. I've had some of the lyrics translated and there are absolutely recurring themes through out the album, and some lyrics lifted straight from epic, nationalistic poetry. I'd even go so far as to say these lyrics are fucking glorious statements of bloody victory. Yeah, I'd say that.

Unlike almost any other black metal album I can think of, on Ballade Cuntre Io Anemi Francor there is a distinct lack of ripping, violent, monotonous power chords and a focus on thoughtful, clearly decipherable guitar melodies (distorted and clean) that carry the songs and complement the whole aura of diseased horror and blasphemous blackened folk from the bottom of a sulfur ocean. The clean vocals add an entirely unimaginable dimension to this already powerful album in a way that I've never heard clean vocals add to a metal album in all my life. Instead of sounding forced, and contrived to the point of being ridiculous, these elements enhance the delivery of a medieval and triumphant atmosphere.

Peste Noire has always been a band that fully utilizes its talents, and guitar harmonies and melodies have been a strong force within Famine's music for as long as I've known. Never content to reproduce standard black metal by the books, or even as written in any book in existence, Famine has made sure that Peste Noire stands alone as a unique entity that is capable of communicating a message highly effectively in both music and lyrics, each able to stand alone and still get across an unforgettable thought or feeling.

Black metal bands that use keyboard or clean instrumental oriented intros and 'intermissions' are a dime a dozen, and 9 times out of 10 are dull, predictable and add nothing to the flow or feel of an album. Plenty of times it comes off as annoying, goofy, and as an unwelcomed waste of time. I don't even want to say Peste Noire does this, because it instantly (at least in my mind) gives the idea that they are doing what thousands of others have done. No way. The few small interludes on this album not only feel 100% perfectly placed, but in fact very necessary for the proper flow and development of the album as a whole. Not once have I found myself wanting to fast-forward through any second of this album's brief but thoughtful interludes. They are typically extensions of a theme already introduced, or soon to be introduced, and thus are important movements for the overall picture. It really is surprising to me how an album that sounds so remarkably unlike any other metal album I've ever fed to my ears also is able to flow and progress so incredibly well and smoothly from the instant it begins playing to the unfortunate moment it ends.


1. Neire Peste
2. La Mesniee Mordrissoire
3. Ballade Cuntre les Anemis de la France
4. Concerto Pour Cloportes
5. La France Bouge
6. A La Mortaille!
7. Vespre
8. Rance Black Metal de France
9. Requiem Pour Nioka
10. Soleils Couchants


9.1/10