RMR is rummaging about the metal underground yet again. And I mean some hardcore underground. Félonie‘s the name and De Sève et de Sang1 the game. Created by a one-man show that currently only sports a sparse number of followers on the band’s Facebook page and not much social media coverage at the time of writing this piece.
Félonie is one of Marc Bourban‘s2 side projects that’s solely driven by the man’s very own ideas. It appears that his other outfits Tyrmfar and Wizards of Wiznan – allegedly – didn’t quite let the creative juices flow as they should. So, here we are expecting a record that’s as pig-headed as it is out-of-the-box. And judging by the ominous cover art of a yet unlit church, there’s a lot to look forward to.
And indeed. The statement made by Bourban that the album is – and I quote “…my contribution to the history of my homeland…” captivated us. Because, you see, Nendaz, the locality, and the Valais in Switzerland, the mountainous region whence da terrible master hails, are indeed known for their often horrible and terrifying tales, legends, age-old customs with masks or not, and a ton of myths. Interesting ones, too. I guess narrow mountain valleys breed this kind of atmosphere.
But first, we stumbled upon that suspiciously familiar-sounding Red Beard Studios outfit. There’s only one red beard of some prominence that I know of who roamed about them mountains near to Nendaz.3 And that’s Rob Carson of the Symphonic Death Metal band Xaon who did the mix and master for Félonie. And sure enough, there he is manning the mixing console. But now, De Sève et de Sang truly had our undivided attention, nameless underground or not. The Gawds ov Metal are truly laughing now and I’ll tell you more about it in a later review.
DSedS is one rough-hewn album. Loud yet barebone, it viciously attacks the unsuspecting listener with some angry and scratchy fifty shades of Black Metal. A production that seems to throw weird intros, Post Black interludes, and strange ambient samples helter-skelter into a maelstrom of riotous Extreme Metal. Stuff that’s often way out there in the left field and not at all where the forefathers of Black Metal said it ought to be.
And most interestingly, typical BM rasps didn’t quite find their way into the album. Instead, a gravelly kinda doomy croak greets you at every nook and cranny of the album. With lyrics that come in French, an excellent choice, as always. This bestows most of De Sève et de Sang with a noble melancholy-laden yet staunchly blackened aura that expertly adds to the overall atmosphere.
The opener Sedunum Invictus4 already makes its mark with a tasty mix of traditional BM and a pretty hefty dose of atmoblack. All of that is filled with serious pagan afterthoughts. A pretty vicious scorcher that will batter yer eardrums out to space with its vile beats, rough tremolos, and rough-hewn riffs. And in truth, the atmospheric part moves far backstage once the track’s full power takes you in its icy grip. Ce que c’est que La Mort tightly follows the first track. Albeit with some more zest and speedy energy.
Now, if you are looking for the most accessible track, Du Haut de l’Echafaud is your reward. Despite its gruesome theme, it will probably talk to the Metallists o’ the Light best with its easy and straightforward structure. The endless repetitions almost got on our wrong side, though. Another candidate for terrible punishment on the aforementioned scaffold5 would be Nuit des Tourments. This is the one track that sits athwart the production with its very cheesy symphonic airs.
In other words, De Sève et de Sang surprised us with a penchant for hypnotic groove, mainly brought about by repetitions and noodling about the atmospheric and melodic parts. And yet. Félonie just managed to keep on the good side of our grumpy reviewers without overdoing it (too much). They could still have shaved a few minutes of fatty matter off some of them tracks for sake of clarity and crispness. Or killed a few outright, if I may be so bold.
Now, Bourban pumped up the volume some more over the last two tracks. Pax Romana – Pax Dissueta gets a rough ‘n’ gruff opener of that last part worth every second of its airtime. But nothing on De Sève et de Sang will beat the outstanding Tueuse d’Etoile (star killer). This is the main course of the record, strangely served as dessert. Groove-laden, rough, grim – but excellent at the same time. We should have had more of that.
Marc Bourban stated that he wanted – and I quote – “…an album composed and recorded without any compromises…” with only his very own ideas on record. And indeed, De Sève et de Sang turned out to be one the most headstrong Extreme Metal records found by RMR in 2023. One that sometimes almost sapped us of our energy at times, it was so difficult to get into. But – in the end – it was all worth it and we’re already looking for more. Much more.
More rough ‘n’ harsh? Try Drunemeton.
Record Rating: 7/10 | Label: Code 666 / Aural Music | Web: Facebook (band)
Release Date: 13 October 2023