The recording of a debut album is a pressurizing and difficult task under any circumstance; the first chance to make a mark on the world and put your presence on the radar. In the case of Polish Black metallers Outre the whole process became all the more complex with the sudden departure of vocalist Andrezej Nowak right at the beginning of recording, resulting in session vocalist Stawrogin being hastily brought in. Surely a testament of this band’s fortitude as they have come out of it with an exceptionally impressive debut in the form of Ghost Chants ( Third Eye Temple).
Despite expectations to follow in the footsteps of homegrown peers such as Behemoth, Outre have chosen to distance themselves from the more melodic and accessible takes on Black metal and have gone down the rabbit hole of the more progressive and challenging strains of the likes of Aevangelist and Deathspell Omega.
Split into seven “Chant” track parts, things proceed in an ominous and gradually building fashion on ‘Departure’, using an atmospheric slow build and eerie chanting vocals to build tension, before the following ‘Shadow’ explodes into view. Rather than sticking to all out pace, Ghost Chants veers between full throttle speed to an unsettling crawl, accompanied by an equally diverse and suited vocal range which shows Stawrogin, as a perfect and hopefully continued acquisition.
In the experimental and innovation stakes it may not have quite the same aurora of evolution and mystique as some of its peers, such as the aforementioned Deathspell Omega, but Ghost Chants is a debut which shows a commendable level of chemistry and fluidity, that of a much more experienced unit. It may not be a game changer in the genre but with their debut, Outre should firmly make a mark on the radar, one that only shows signs of growing more over time.
One of the most formidable debut’s you will hear all year.
8.0/10
CHRIS TIPPELL
With five full length records and over a decade of music biz experience under his belt, Glorior Belli mastermind Billy Bayou has seen his share of ups and downs. Hailing from France, one of the greatest places in the world to find exciting and challenging art, Bayou’s music blends black metal atmospherics with down-to-earth rock ‘n’ roll grit to produce a quite unique blend. He took the time to chat with Ghost Cult, and explain a few things about his personal connection to the blues, the band’s recent move to a new label, and the French black metal scene.
It is said that isolation breeds creativity. As much as a platitude this is, Ulcerate’s case seems to help it regain some credibility. Although spawned and based in picturesque New Zealand, the brooding metal trio has a penchant for sonically summoning dark, twisted worlds that reflect and pass judgment on the rotten core of humanity—hardly a mental picture that fits the towering-mountains-and-serene-meadows imagery present in the imagination of many a LotR (Lord of the Rings) fan. This natural inclination towards and ability to clearly convey such depressing negativity doesn’t come easily to most bands, let alone one dwelling within the dream retirement country for many. This creativity is of a virulent nature; one that births realms so displeasing in any ordinary person’s view that it is shunned by the masses and revered only by those who have stared into the abyss for too long. From within the murky darkness of pessimism, drummer Jamie Saint Merat surfaces briefly to speak to Dane Prokofiev about the theme of Vermis (Relapse), his philosophy of the human condition and more.
12 years since their last full-length, Gorguts have seen fit to grace us mere mortals with a new album. Has it been worth the wait? In short, oh yes, yes it has. Densely technical and chaotic, Colored Sands (Season Of Mist) is as punishing as it is rewarding. Whilst it’s far from being a catchy album, Gorguts never sacrifice riffs in favour of technicality, and their music never comes across as “technical for the sake of it”. The opening riff on ‘An Ocean Of Wisdom’, for example, is absolutely monumental, and almost hummable, before dissolving into atonal “melodies” that any fan of Deathspell Omega should be more than familiar with. The fluidity of Gorguts’ compositions on this album is astounding, flowing between eerie atmospherics, dense, rumbling riffs, and mind-bending technicality with ease that would make lesser musicians green with envy.
Imagine a lone asteroid floating about aimlessly in deep space. Giant, writhing worms dwell beneath its thin crust of rock and dirty ice, and these gargantuan non-arthropods occasionally pop up to the desolate surface to soak in the UV rays emanating from nearby stars. Then, when it’s feeding time, they seek out and cannibalize one another. The resulting cacophony of tortured, inhuman shrieks set against the depressive backdrop of the vast and cold void would be akin to how Vermis—the Relapse debut and fourth full-length album from New Zealander experimental death metallers Ulcerate—sounds like.
I’m not sure what it is, but France seems to be the “trendy” country for metal these days. Gojira and Deathspell Omega are the most recognizable but there are plenty of quality bands coming out of France. The latest to grace my ears is Erlen Meyer and their self-titled album. And they don’t sound anything like Gojira or Deathspell Omega. Trying to pinpoint who they do sound like is rather difficult.