SOMBRE CROISADE - FRANCE

SOMBRE CROISADE - BALANCIER DES ÂMES – PEST/LOUD RAGE  
This is one of those albums, which puts one in the mood for it rather than one having to be in the mood to hear it. The black is France-based, primitive, aggressive, serious and has a good feeling to its music. There is as much slickness and refinement to this album as there is honesty and class to Donald Trump groupies’ trailer home.
Comprised of six tracks and over forty minutes of music it is a disc made up of genuine feeling, hellish screeches, atmospheric harmonies and a primitive approach to black metal sorely lacking elsewhere. There is no doubt that the band is not comprised of proficient instrumentalists and many of the rhythms and structures are simplistic. Take away the screams and distortion and the main rhythm of Renaissance could belong to a pop band, but there is a lot that is torturous about this act nonetheless. Favourite tracks Voeux illusoires and Souffles D'ailleurs are moodier and the vocals go into overdrive to deliver hell on earth. It is notably the over-active and warm-sounding bass guitar that impresses on each track here. This contrasts nicely with the prominently high-pitched delivery. This band has as much commercial potential as the sex tape of the aforementioned fat white trash in Nebraska and, as such, is perfect for the underground and extreme black metal listener (sorry Dummy Burger fans!). – Ali “The Metallian”