Ars Moriendi, the art of dying. Many a band already used that striking phrase to name a track, the recently reviewed record of Sanguine Glacialis being the last addition to the RMR ‘zine. But a handful of them out there embraced this moniker as their own. And that’s pretty heavy if you consider the sinister and morose meaning of the phrase. Visions of doom, damnation, and French-tainted brutalities? Ars Moriendi – gruesome roadways ahead.
Arsonist‘s1 one-man outfit never made it onto our review pipe. Previous records must have sailed straight past its murky entrance and never returned. And in truth, the RMR reviewers usually don’t actively look for those Jacks of All Trades. Many of those records are glorified demos with so many flaws one could issue a guidebook on how not to write a record.
But – rarely – you find exceptions. And Ars Moriendi here is one of them. First, Lorsque les coeurs s’assèchent2 navigates so far out of the box they must have lost the compass. And that’s a good thing. Second, and as I said before already, the French language and Extreme Metal fit perfectly. Especially once the band embarks on the netherworlds of the metal multiverse and rummages about in the terrifying depths of human depravity. The language adds that baroque flavor of forbidden debauchery to the harsh metal on record. No doubt about it.
As musical prowess goes, les coeurs here delivers a colorful mélange of styles and tastes. Black Metal with reasonable atmosphere, Post Black, excursions into prog, and ambient interludes. Pop mingled with monkish chants, the haunted piano that trades places with the unearthly guitars. In other words, this piece often strangely sounds like a French version of Ellende without the Holzhackerbua’m. An earthy procession of tunes infected with hints of Serge Gainsbourg without Jane Birkin and Tiamat on steroids. Then offshoots of Michael Cretu’s Enigma suddenly emerge.3 Pop in a monkish robe that rivals in quality but not in deed what master Wilson just did when he stepped out of prog. And all of that wild jambalaya of ideas speaks of some serious affliction of the Alcest bug, yet another French band.
To add to the fray, Arsonist‘s relentless rasps, monologues, and tortured screams always proficiently chime in at any odd moment. And – more importantly – when you least expect it. Lorsque les coeurs s’assèchent won’t let you settle down. It will always keep you on edge with an ever-changing soundscape of trips, turns, and hidden doorways to yet another unexpected yonder. In short, tightly arranged in some sort of a crazed staccato fashion, the tortured twists and turns will continually break up what little peace you might have found on this record. And that means meticulous attention to detail at a level that we have seldom seen to date. A wild complexity that risks turning scores of fans away at the same time. But then, I don’t think that this is really a concern for the master of all things over at Ars Moriendi.
Ultimately though, Lorsque les coeurs s’assèchent fascinated the RMR crew right from the start when the lonely acoustic lick rang out. Ambient beginnings to a metal record that will immediately catch yer attention with a chaotic yet refined approach to songwriting. There’s no solace in the bleak dark depths of the human soul. And the record won’t tire to harshly remind you of that little facet. In many ways, expertly executed turmoil will grip you until the goodbye rings out at the end of Le blasphémateur. This is the one and only truly excellent track on les coeurs, despite its epic lengths of some 12 minutes. Apart from Voyage Céleste, as a close second, that is.
In the end, though, Arsonist truly created a great record, a work of art in and of itself. One that took the RMR crew considerable effort to get into. And we would recommend to anyone who made it this far to allow for multiple listens. It will be truly worth your while.
Record Rating: 8/10 | Label: Archaic Sound | Web: Facebook (band)
Release Date: 4 August 2023