ALBUM REVIEW: Sel De Pierre – Vous Autres

What is there to be said about a band determined to remain an enigma? VOUS AUTRES, comprising multi-instrumentalist ₣ and vocalist β, emerged from Nantes in 2017 with a self-released EP, Trente Pièces D’Argent (Thirty Pieces Of Silver). Two years hence, and an album appeared – Champ Du Sang (Field Of Blood) – which rippled through the underground, to quiet acclaim.

While the group remained steadfastly Francophone, they had proven themselves to be fluent in extreme metal’s hypnotic methods: mechanical rhythm, seductive groove, and some carefully deployed electronic flourishes combine to produce something eerily familiar, yet seemingly unique. Now signed to Season Of Mist’s sub-label Underground Activists – alongside black metal nobility, such as CRAFT, DRUDKH and PROFANATICA – VOUS AUTRES have laboured tirelessly and anonymously to produce their second full-length album Sel De Pierre (Rock Salt).

VOUS AUTRES are maximalist in their methodology. A great deal of effort has been put into making every moment as characterful and concentrated as possible. Even in moments of rest and reprieve, Sel De Pierre is utterly saturated in sound. The effect is to produce a perverse mindfulness: no thought could possibly take root in a mind subject to this fusillade. VOUS AUTRES are rooted in post-hardcore, and take on many of black metal’s sensibilities, but no concatenation of labels quite captures what is going on in Sel De Pierre. The album’s defining moments blend together percussive bludgeoning, anguished shrieks, and blackgaze riffing – and when all these elements align, the effect is sublime.

VOUS AUTRES are singing from AMENRA‘s hymn sheet no doubt, and while they might surpass them in terms of sheer intensity, artificial instruments and techniques often intrude on the organic quality and live-feel of the production. Intermezzos serve their purpose, but Sel De Pierre exhausts its violent intensity all too soon however, leaving the second half of the album feeling desperately sparse with a pair of closing ambient tracks. One expects a closing salvo In Humus or Nitre but you will find only a tense serenity, and the feeling that something has been left unfinished.

One gets the impression that VOUS AUTRES are many, when they are few. To have sculpted something as intricate and multi-faceted as Sel De Pierre from the minds of just two creators defies belief. While it is not without its teething problems, this album forcefully reasserts the potential for overcoming nascent nihilism with youthful naivety and exuberance. VOUS AUTRES are not exhausted by their struggle with darkness; they are in the midst of it. Sel De Pierre will prove to be a liminal moment for the band as they continue to engage creatively with anguish and the possibility of hope. VOUS AUTRES show exceptional promise, and they have not yet reached their full potential.

Rating: 7/10

Sel de Pierre is out now via Season of Mist Underground Activists. 

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