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░ ██ ██ Artist: Griffon ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Har HaKarmel █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2016 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2016-08-28 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Black Metal ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Hass Weg Productions ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ French outfit Griffon, nowadays with current and █
█ former members of e.g. Moonreich, Neptrecus, █
█ Septentrion etc..., signed to the honest █
█ (Underground) label Hass Weg Productions in order █
█ to have their debut released the most decent way. █
█ In 2014 the band did also record and release an EP █
█ (crazily called Wig Ah Wag), but I did not have █
█ the opportunity (yet) to enjoy that material. This █
█ first full experience was recorded with mixing / █
█ mastering assistance of DΘhα, you know, the entity █
█ behind projects such as C.O.A.G., Slow, We All Die █
█ (Laughing), Imber Luminis or Merda Mundi, amongst █
█ many others. It gets released in an edition of 500 █
█ copies in a so-called jewel-case with an 8-paged █
█ booklet, including artwork by WyrmsÆ Tedd. █
█ With Har HaKarmel (first price for their unusual █
█ album titles!), Griffon bring over forty minutes █
█ of melodic, atmospheric and technically skilled █
█ Black Metal. Despite the title, the lyrics (in █
█ French, for your information) do deal with a wide █
█ scala on themes and not only on religion-bounded █
█ subjects only. History, fantasy and philosophy (or █
█ at least a certain philosophical point of view on █
█ history and fantasy) are part of the game. █
█ GriffonÆs Black Metal is enormously melodic, once █
█ again strongly empowered by those powerful and █
█ harmonious guitar leads especially. The band █
█ creates a huge variety in melody, as well as in █
█ tempo. When coming to the latter, about each █
█ composition has both slower and faster parts, █
█ sometimes mercilessly nasty, then again █
█ victoriously epic, or grim and obscure. Another █
█ aspect of the inherent diversification is the █
█ addition of thrashing rhythms (like the █
█ mind-blowing opening sequences on LÆArbre Blanc), █
█ deadly outbursts (Beaume, Tout Est Accompli), █
█ lo-fi eruptions, paganised atmospheres (La CitΘ █
█ Est Perdue), or hypnotic excerpts (cf. the █
█ semi-acoustic dwellings on the title song, for █
█ example). For sure it is clear that quality stands █
█ high in this bandÆs total experience, rather than █
█ empty-brained aggression or would-be grotesquery. █
█ Quite impressive are the synth passages, like the █
█ bombastic and orchestral intro to La CitΘ Est █
█ Perdue with its almost gothic-funereal ritual █
█ grandeur, or the introduction to Tout Est █
█ Accompli. But actually all aspects, once again █
█ courtesy of Hass Weg Productions, breathe █
█ supremacy. The core of all creations relies on █
█ craftsmanship and persuasion, like a big f*ck-off █
█ to all false entities poisoning the scene lately. █
█ And some listeners might surely appreciate the █
█ somewhat modernised and, why not, Atmo/Post-Rock █
█ attitude that appears via compositions like La █
█ LisiΦre. Why not, theyÆre French anywayà █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. L'Apostat 6:14 ░
░ 2. La CitΘ est Perdue 7:28 ░
░ 3. L'Arbre Blanc 5:22 ░
░ 4. Har HaKarmel 6:23 ░
░ 5. La LisiΦre 4:10 ░
░ 6. Psaume 5:14 ░
░ 7. Tout est Accompli 7:31 ░
░ 42:22 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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