EP REVIEW: Devant La Porte Des Étoiles – GraveNoire
First impressions, in music as in life, can be everything. For a new band looking to turn heads with their debut, especially when that band is spawned from a scene that has long been renowned for crafting some of the best examples of that style, the task of creating an impactful opening gambit is often a daunting and near insurmountable one. GRAVENOIRE find themselves in such a position, with their debut EP Devant La Porte Des Étoiles not only having to measure up to a stunning pantheon of French black metal bands and albums that have come before them, but appearing at a point when the genre is experiencing a resurgence in creativity from new and old bands alike. Luckily, this short but extremely effective record showcases a band with an almost fully formed sound, and it’s hard to think of a group that have put out something so powerful and darkly grandiose right out of the gate, at least in recent years.
Pavens, a synth-based instrumental, may be short but is also incredibly grandiose and sets an epic tone for the rest of the record, easing the listener in with its bombastic, punchy feel. France De l’Ombre is muscular melodic black metal done exceptionally well, from the angular leads and punishing percussion through to the searing, duelling vocals, showcasing an incredibly broad range that encompasses hellish howls and bellicose barks, adding a subtly feral edge to this extremely tight and catchy piece of music. Ordo Opera Cultura takes the preceding track’s formula of domineering rhythms, strangled vocals and biting riffs and combines it with a blistering pace, making this song sound even more rabid and visceral than the last, showing a much more aggressive, though nonetheless immersive, side of the band’s style, once again having one foot firmly planted within second wave black metal whilst still feeling incredibly sharp and imaginative.
Aux Chiens continues with this fast and focused template, coupling far more hypnotic, soaring hooks alongside grating intensity, edging towards something much more chaotic whilst still possessing lots of intricate musicality, with the gnarled, tortured vocals matching up with the more belligerent moments on this song well and serving as an excellent counterpoint to many of the lighter moments. Granit picks up seamlessly from where the previous offering left off, but shifts almost immediately to a measured, mid-tempo juggernaut that allows the more inventive elements of the guitars and the sonorous, spoken word vocals to play a prominent role within this track’s sound, shedding a lot of the speed and ferocity of the last three numbers but producing a much more engrossing and cavernous effort in the process. Gravenoire departs significantly from the monolithic black metal sound that has dominated this record and instead opts for a much bleaker slab of dramatic minimalism built upon ambient keyboards, gothic keys and spoken word passages, creating a sombre, classical feel without going overboard, and allowing the spartan elements to be drawn out and make this fairly stripped back closing effort much more immersive.
Those who had no idea who GRAVENOIRE were might be forgiven for believing that Devant La Porte Des Étoiles is an EP from a tenured and well established band, rather than the very first release from a new one, such is the level of tightness, focus and skilful songwriting on display here. It’s got all of the hallmarks of the very best melodic black metal, with riffs in abundance, but it also possesses a searing aggression and intensity that very few bands within this style are able to achieve, making for a record that is accessible and acerbic in equal measure. Considering the calibre of bands that the French black metal scene has been producing over the course of the last few years, to make a musical statement this strong literally right out of the gate and cement themselves as one of the best new acts within an already fantastic scene, GRAVENOIRE have managed to command the attention of listeners, laying down some impressively sturdy foundations upon which to build some fantastic albums.
Rating: 9/10
Devant La Porte Des Étoiles is out now via Season Of Mist Underground Activists.
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