Seth first crossed our hawse back in 2021 with their powerful ode to a burned church called La Morsure du Christ. Seethingly powerful Black Metal that roars forth on gritty French vocals. A language that seems to soak up this almost poetically dramatic evil, as if it were predestined for such rough treatment. The devil must indeed reside somewhere in Paris and not in the Vatican, as was whispered for centuries. But I heard today that it might be the UK after all. We’ll keep on checking, of course. Satan’s prone to change locations all the time.
Unsurprisingly, a thriving Black Metal scene exists in France. One that taketh freely from their Scandinavian brethren but will not hesitate to stamp their very own sigil into that vile metal of theirs. And RMR already covered a few of them, such as Corpus Diavolis, Ars Moriendi, or – again – the now defunct Geisterfels. But the question is, will Seth manage to pull us into that portrait of La France des Maudits (France of the Cursed) of their own making? Hide your crosses, and then delve right in.
After a stellar and almost earth-shattering delivery of La Morsure du Christ, Seth add yet another layer of grime and devilish brutality. An ode to rebellions of times long gone and present but with a sinister connotation. In their own words, La France des Maudits defines the “…struggle against divine oppression…” describing a place where “…the façades of grandeur crumble to reveal the raw flesh of true humanity.” That’s some mission statement right there. Nothing short of the destruction of clerical persecution supporting a god doing nothing to help the damned. The band took the ashes of Notre Dame as a hint to spin their tale further. And now the damned crawl out of their hidey-hole. A rallying cry for (their) freedom? Perhaps. But never forget: To call on the deceiver for help means that – first – you need to be a good follower of the Nailed God.
And sure enough, the frantic Paris des Maléfices just slams an avalanche of blackened ferocious rage straight into yer earphones. A level of aggression that makes Maudits‘ predecessor feel like soft prose instead. Rough-hewn riffs, cathedral melodics haunted by ethereal chants, furious tremolos, it all forms part of some abominable amalgamation. Raw occult power fueled by Saint Vincent‘s relentless rasps, snarls, and anguished screams. Interestingly, this time more melancholy’s baked into their tune than before. And always you get that feeling of a Victorian tableau right in front of you. An almost baroque painting thrown on canvas in bold strokes of black and red. Descriptions of bloodlust and revenge to invoke the kingdom of the damned.
Thus, La France des Maudits rages and raves against perceived wrongs. Sometimes with some sort of a hypnotic riffing dripping with menace on Dans Le Coeur un Poignard. Insurrection gorges with powerful messaging soaring forth on mid-tempo tremolos. “Plus jamais à genoux, le diable est avec nous!” – never again on [our] knees, the devil is with us – yells the vocalist passionately at the audience. Ending with a rallying cry “Tous, Marchons sur le monde” – everyone, let’s march on the world. And all this roars in on a torrent of monolithic, soaring Black Metal played with a ritualistic power and true menace seldom seen elsewhere.
Ultimately, La France de Maudits surpasses its predecessor by bounds and lengths. The record’s next-level Black Metal devilry is so intense it will take a few listens to sink in. A ruthless piece of savagery calling for no less than the arrival of Lucifer. To govern in favor of the damned and downtrodden. But lyrics and vile messaging apart, the monolithic Black Metal on offer pretty much surpasses anything out there for now. This is next-level heavy music, sometimes overly harsh and brutal, sometimes melodic and pensive. One of the tastiest slabs of brutal extreme metal to hit this zine to date.
Oh, and once you hit play, just make sure you don’t sign that contract in blood. The deceiver’s siren song might be alluring. But in the end, you will lose. Just sayin’.
Ed’s note: And the record made it onto the 2024 Top 10 Records AND the Malevolent 2024 Series. Congrats!
Record Rating: 9/10 | Label: Season of Mist | Web: Official Band Site
Release Date: 14 July 2024