Artist: Pensees Nocturnes
Title: Vacuum
Type: Album
Label: Les Acteurs De L’Ombre Productions
The French, so I oft am told, are the enemy. As a nation, it is as much our God given right to hate the French as it is to moan about the weather and enjoy a postprandial cup of tea. Being that I’m not the most patriotic of Brits, I feel no more inclined to spit on a French person than I would one of my own. As a child, I may have grumbled and cursed the b***ards for making me learn their language, but years later when I’m trying to order an €80 beer/snack combo (I will never let them live that one down) and explain myself to less than welcoming security guards, I really found myself wishing I’d paid more attention in my days of flinging bits of paper at Mademoiselle. Some consider French to be the language of lurve; said in the right tone and “Your car is parked on my lawn” can sound as seductive as any candlelit dinner. Although, having heard my share of irate French people, I can tell you they are not all Cabernet Sauvignon, Ooh La La! Perhaps passionate is a more accurate description; there doesn’t appear to be that “meh, whatever. Can’t be arsed” vibe we have over here, though I’m sure it does exist. Everything evokes a strong reaction, whether c’est magnifique or tres terrible!
Therefore it makes sense to find such a passion filled release come from this country, which surprisingly doesn’t boast too many metal bands. While there is a glut of black metal acts out there with very little soul and nothing to say other than “we’re so evil and like dressing up and skulking in the forest and scaring people and we want to be just like Mayhem except they got there before us so we’re pissed off now and want to make everyone suffer by listening to our music AIEEEEEE!” there are a handful of bands around that really do have a lot about them, and this solo act is certainly among that group. From the moment I press play, I am taken on an hour long journey that ventures deep into the very pits of this guys soul. Those expecting this to be a smooth and easy ride are in for a surprise, as in some respects this is quite the test of endurance although captivating enough to get away with it. Vacuum seems quite a apt name for this album, as while you are brought into the thick of it all it feels rather like a vacuum sucking away all elements of hope and happiness leaving you with nothing but a feeling of utter despondency. The vocals are filled with pure anguish from a man deep in despair and locked in a state of perpetual torment, weeping through the cavernous black hole which shows no sign of life or colour. The atmosphere is haunting and incredibly lugubrious and tainted by the tear stained devastation that comes through in the vocals.
This is the kind of album that you really have to be in the right frame of mind to listen to; in the wrong mood you’ll want to chuck it out of the window, but when the time is right it is an incredibly beautiful album that you’ll just want to lay back to and soak in. It flows effortlessly, melting together into one long composition as the furious blackened passages complete with harsh guitars and a backdrop of ferocious drums segue into uplifting classical arrangements, such as on ‘Lune Malade’ as the tears dry and all calms down momentarily. There is an ambient feel to the harsher elements of the music, reminding of Negura Bunget or perhaps Summoning. The guitar tone on ‘Flore’ starts off wonderfully rich and resplendent; it all sounds rather lachrymose yet the soar of the violin adds an ephemeral glimmer of hope. The gentle piano sonata fuses together this track with ‘Des Espoir’ which rages on, eventually fading out to make way for the clean classical passage, which has a real dreamy flow to it. The bluesy vibe to ‘Coups De Bleus’ adds extra colours into the palette, with its smooth, slick bassline, while the album seems to round off nicely, returning to a similar melody to that heard on the opener. This is simply an excellent debut album with emotion and atmosphere by the bucket-load, and no doubt with the right promotion they will see success in the not so distant future. If you are a fan of depressive and atmospheric black metal then check them out.
http://www.myspace.com/penseesnocturnes
Luci Herbert
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