Pensees Nocturnes - Grotesque

Solo black metal act out of France via gentleman going by Vaerohn, and he is one talented and possible insane man. This albums predecessor was basically depressive black metal with classical touches, and while it was received well and i can detect the quality, it wasnt my cup of tea. Frankly this album isnt either, but its different and i like it more. It still has all of the same elements this time around but with even more weirdness added to it such as operatic vocals, weird circus type sounds, more of an Arcturus influence so if you are a fan of aforementioned band you might wanna take a peek here.


depositfiles again...suck it

The Austrasian Goat - The Austrasian Goat

I almost hate describing or reviewing stuff like this. Music that is so simple, yet so deep, has always been intriguing yet baffling to me. What i can tell you is that The Austrasian Goat is a solo project from France, with mastermind Julien Louvet at the creative helm. Here he creates crushing, atmospheric black metal/funeral doom hybrid of sorts not too much unlike Nortt. By now i have thrown out plenty of comparisons and references for you to know you either are, or are not interested so i will quit wasting your time.



the goat

Garden of Silence - Behold the Cross/A Kingdom of Ruin (demo)

I present to you, the sadly short live Garden of Silence. I will admit to only being aware of this bands existence for less then a week, but as a big fan of this kind of doom, i am mourning the loss. Sure, the other members went on to play in and form other bands, but fuck, at just TWO fucking songs this demo will leave you longing for more, and question what could have been. Going into a bit more depth on the bands sound (something i dont tend to do much of), they play a nice hybrid of epic doom and melodic/gothic doom death. Think early Candlemass crossed with Gothic era Paradise Lost, it works quite well and to this very day ive not heard many bands that can even come close to this. This short demo is indeed an overlooked gem.


Garden of Silence

Darvulia - L'Ombre Malicieuse

Debut full length by Frances always excellent Darvulia. Definitely a must have for fans of traditional black metal, everything Darvulia does, Darvulia does well. Whether its full on blasting with interesting riffs, or slower plodding simplisticness, and even ritualistic ambient type breaks, they will get it right every time.

L'Ombre Malicieuse

Peste Noire - La Sanie des Siècles - Panégyrique de la Dégénérescence

Sure, Peste Noire have evolved over the past few years. The newer material is odd but I like it quite a bit. This album however is their debut released in 2006. Comprised largely of material that was originally on their demos with a sound that had been cleaned up a bit so it doesn't sound as raw as the original. An absolute black metal masterpiece by one of the more brilliant bands from France.



Oooh la la

Epheles - Souviens-Toi

Excellent solo black metal from France, second full length from mastermind Nephtys. Definitely some of the best solo bm i have heard, songwriting and musicianship are above average for a project like this. Some people have even gone as far as to say this is the new Burzum.

souviens-toi

S.V.E.S.T. - Urfaust



Oh god where do i start with this one, those of you that have heard this know what im talking about. I found out about this band through their split with fellow countrymen and one of my favs, deathspell omega. While somewhat similar to deathspell, this album is much more raw and believe it or not even more of a mindfuck. Behind the very raw and static filled production (this is a headphones only album for full effect) lies mind blowing musicianship and compositions and like this band or not, they are brilliant there is no doubt about it. Dizzying chaotic riffs, with a guitarist that seems to get many Euronymous comparisons and i guess you could say they have definite nods to early mayhem. If you are not a fan of exremely raw black metal, you will not get this so dont even bother.


im getting the spins...

Epic - Of Tears and Blood...

For anyone that feels guilty downloading music (i actually used to), or simply wont do it, nab this motherfucker guilt free because theres nooooo way youll ever find a physical copy, try as you might, it wont happen. What you will find here however is some awesome melodic/symphonic black metal that is basically a "super group" of the french black metal scene, featuring dudes that have done time in Arkhon Infaustus, Hell Militia, Mayhem, Vorkreist, Corpus Christii, Secrets of the Moon, Merrimack, and Antaeus. Its an excellent albeit short release, clocking in at less then 30 minutes. More then well worth your time.

Epic...literally

Phazm - Hate at First Seed



Now ive decided to mix it up a bit on this one, not your typical take on the apocalypse. Debut album by french band Phazm (currently 3 albums via Osmose Records). They play a really cool mixture of black, death, and doom metal in a way that really works and seems to flow seemlessy. Im a fan of the first 2 albums in which i own, and havent heard the 2008 full length. Now where this album differs from others, there are no zombies or nuclear metldowns, this time around its the trees wreaking the havok. After so many years of mankind ruining and exploiting this planet they somehow take form and set upon killing off the humans, thus reclaiming what is rightfully theirs. It sounds a bit hippy, other then the fact that hippies never came up with anything cool, so ill dismiss that notion.

up yours hippies!!!!

Hats Barn - Following the Path of Destruction

As promised, the other full-length release from Hats Barn. A bit more raw and honestly not as good as "Primitive Humans Desecration" but a quality release nonetheless. I look forward to hearing more from this band in the future.

follow the path

Hats Barn - Primitive Humans Desecration

Being of English speaking origin, the name of this band strikes me as being a bit strange. If I didn't know and better I might assume Hats Barn is a country music band. Hats Barn is in fact a very psychotic, crushing, hateful black metal band from France. And "Primitive Humans Desecration" is an album that will eat your soul!

Vocalist/drummer Psycho 666 is a cat who likes kickin it old school. In the past he's been incarcerated for grave desecrations and acts of violence. If that doesn't hearken back to the glory days of black metal, then seriously... What does? Psycho seems to be a fitting name for the guy based on his drumming and vocal styles alone. Of course the most brilliant artists seem to be a tad eccentric.

The song titles speak for themselves...

1.	Mon Intime Suicide
2.	Euthanasia
3.	Silence's way
4.	Bestial Fucking Die
5.	Primitive Humans Desecration
6.	Under The Sign Of Black Messiah
7.	Suprême Misanthropie
8.	Terrorist Black Metal
9.	The Divine Blood
10.	Agonie, L'envol De Mon Ame
11.	Veni Vidi Vici
12.	Terre De Sang
13.	Asylum Abortion

Well worth checking out for any fan of true black metal. "Primitive Humans Desecration" was one of two albums released by Hats Barn in 2010. The other one will be found on this blog at a later date.


Psycho

Belenos - Errances Oniriques

Probably the best Celtic/Pagan black metal band you will ever hear. I mean, i will feel rediculous even trying to describe music so amazing. This album has everything you want from the genre, clean chanted vocals, battle hyms, excellent songwriting and musicianship. Thats all im gonna say.

Perfection