These two albums arrived in a package together, and although one was released in 2008 and the other in 2009, I thought it made sense to put them both in one single review as they do appear to be part of one larger piece of work. There is virtually nothing about this artist out there on the web, not even a MySpace or Metal Archives page which are the first places I look nor can I find any other reviews or interviews or forum posts…then again, given that Google threw everything at me in French, which is unsurprising given the name, chances are there is something buried out there somewhere.
Serment I: Le Sceptre Prophetique is the first disc and is split into three parts, with each section containing three tracks. ‘Les Eaux Dormantes’ comes whirring in, the guitar dragging along in a particularly strained and harsh manner over a background of indistinct ambient noise. The drums clatter with that bassy, underground thump keeping a constant rhythm flowing into the dark void that is ‘La Race Des Pendus.’ There’s a real feeling of loss here and the lo-fi production makes it sound as though everything is miles away – even the guitars when they really kick in sound incredibly suppressed. It all sounds very greyscale, with no hints of colour ever entering the equation while in places things sound almost majestic, such as on ‘Aux Armes, Etendard De L’Ombre’ which sounds rich and radiates a certain resplendence. I particularly like the dramatic piano piece that creeps up from the mix on this one.
With it’s underlying cosmic vibes, ‘Aux Martyrs…’ at times comes across as rather surreal. This one mixes in religious chants and wails while beneath you can hear a cesspool of fizzling, crackling and swooshing sounds all flying about within the atmosphere. I like the disjointedness of ‘Je Me Souviens’ the way the train-track clunking moves awkwardly along, never quite in sync with the melancholic guitar melody that it co-exists with.
Could I call this a total masterpiece of the ambient black metal genre? Well, no and truth be told this does seem a bit on the dreary side in places and things do seem to drag on just that bit too long perhaps as there are no vocals to accompany the music. In some respects, I do prefer the second disc; ‘Serment II: Les Ailes Du Posthume’ which is more minimalist without attempting the more bombastic arrangements that aren’t quite pulled off in part I. The atmosphere conveys far more a sense of unease, with the violin and subtle piano melodies and random indistinguishable sounds. Again, there’s something very un-nerving about ‘Ames Cendres’ with its discordant mix and everything marching to a slightly different beat. It’s almost apocalyptic and listening in the bath can only think it would make an ideal soundtrack to a departure from this world as my head slips beneath the water surface (got to think about these things….)
There’s a sense of emptiness and I’m drawn into a world of darkness on this album which doesn’t happen so much on the first one. Certainly I think this is more apocalyptic and depressive and with it’s minimal tones I find it a much more engaging listen. Obviously, this isn’t for everyone and if you’re really not a fan of dark ambient BM then you should steer clear of it. I like what this guy is doing here and think there’s something raw and honest about these two releases. At times I am genuinely taken in by the ambience, although at other times I just feel rather bored and perhaps having two albums to listen to in one session made it more of a struggle.
http://www.mort-ne.com
