ALBUM REVIEW: Sainte Marie des Loups – Sainte Marie des Loups
SAINTE MARIE DES LOUPS are a mysterious outfit coming up through the French black metal scene. The one man act only have a couple of releases to their name, with only the Torment Is Flesh split releasing back at the beginning of 2018 before releasing their debut album towards the end of that same year. That album, now re-released on Amor Fati Productions, is a great example of extremely raw black metal, blending chaotic and rabid musicianship and vocals with haunting and well placed ambient music to create an album that is as impressive as it is dark and sepulchral.
La Fin de l’hiver is a raw, driven and borderline chaotic piece of music that does a lot to set the tone for the rest of the record. It has an unflinchingly dirty and feral sound that really adds to the intensity and power of the music, with crashing drums, frenetic guitar hooks and caustic howls all making this an incredibly vicious and oppressive opener. Progéniture follows a very similar template, which a sepulchral production blending with fast, aggressive and grating musicianship, with a few dense, yet memorable riffs thrown into the mix for good measure. Underneath all the rage and blistering paces, however, there’s a notable, epic edge to the music which really works well here, and contrasts perfectly with the more crushing nature of the music and sound, diversifying the sound and introducing some haunting elements that make for a more doom laden offering.
Sermons Sanglants is, if anything, the culmination of Sainte Marie des Loups‘ more fierce sound to this point, with a magnificent, jarring motif kicking things off and quickly giving way to a punishing primitive and cacophonous sound, with a whirlwind of drums, bellicose vocal deliveries and buzz saw guitars bringing this song to life and sticking long in the memory after it has come to a close. Sainte Marie des Loups marks a shift towards a slower, ambient music tinged sound with cleaner guitar tones, although this doesn’t last long, as the song dives into a much more discordant section as it progresses, without ever full eschewing the sounds that defined this songs opening moments entirely. Nonetheless, it’s a more considered and reserved affair with a grandiose sound that is counterpointed by sharp, off kilter guitars and equally monstrous vocals, making for an eclectic, and impressive, sound throughout.
Insolence continues this trends, blending a foreboding and macabre sound with well placed, atmospheric keyboard sections, which gives this song in particular a chilling sound. The drumming and guitar playing are steadier and not as ferocious and flashy as they were at earlier points, allowing the ambience that underpins this track to come to the fore and carry the sound, along with the hellish, tortured vocal passages, which combined create a huge, yet still unrefined sound. It’s the apex of the album, proving to be, without a shadow of a doubt, the best song on the record. Absurdités et Blasphémes, a short outro track with sublime, cleaner guitars which sound crisp and intricate, is a suitably bleak and melancholic way to bring the album to a close, not sticking around for any longer than it needs to in order to achieve the desired effect and leave the listener eager to hear more.
Both halves of Sainte Marie des Loups are different, and help to make the record a lot more diverse. The first three tracks are solid, raw black metal with a sharp and grating sound, but otherwise for the most part forgettable. The final three offerings sees SAINTE MARIE DES LOUPS shift to a more ambient orientated, atmospheric sound which works a lot better, taking the sound of the first half and expanding on it. It’s a great debut album, with a lot of promise and musical talent on display, and yet you get the feeling that if the band had introduced for Ambient elements into their sound, it could have turned this album from a good one to a great one.
Rating: 7/10
Sainte Marie des Loups is out now via Amor Fati Productions.