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/:: Artist :: Au Champ des Morts ::\
:: Album :: Dans La Joie ::
:: Year :: 2017 ::
:: __ _ _ __ ::
-:--\\-----------------------------------------------------------------//--:-
:: \ / ::
:: . Genre :: Black Metal Source :: CDDA . ::
:: Label :: Debemur Morti Productions R.date :: 2017.02.01 ::
_::__ Cat.nr. :: DMP0149 Size :: 103,23 MB __::_
::// \\::
::/---------------------------------------------------------------------\::
:: ::
/: Encoder :: LAME 3.98.4 -V0 :\
..: Bitrate :: avg. 272kbps : .
. Quality :: 44,1kHz/Joint Stereo .
. .
Website :: https://www.facebook.com/Au-Champ-Des-Morts-1061663760580553
__ __ _ . : _ ____ _ _ ____ _ : . _ __ __
.\\\\------- : | ---\ /---------------------\ /--- | : -------////.
+/ -\------- | | ----\ tracklist /---- | | -------/- \+
/: . : : . :\
/:: ::\
:: 01. Nos dΘcombres 06:23 ::
:: 02. AprΦs le carnage 09:39 ::
:: 03. Le sang, la mort, la chute 08:12 ::
:: 04. Contempler l'abime 06:52 ::
:: 05. Dans la joie 10:03 ::
:: 06. L'Θtoile du matin 06:27 ::
:: 07. La fin du monde 04:38 ::
:: ------- ::
.. >> 52:14 ..
__ __ _ . : _ ____ _ _ ____ _ : . _ __ __
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+/ -\------- | | ----\ release notes /---- | | -------/- \+
/: . : : . :\
/:: ::\
:: ::
:: Black metal seems to have it's bony little fingers in just ::
:: about everything these days. Atmospheric black metal. Black ::
:: avant garde. Blackened doom and blackened death. These are ::
:: the prevalent genres currently littering our list of promos ::
:: for the next few months. Judging by said list alone, we've ::
:: got enough blackened music lined up to keep you steeped and ::
:: saturated in sorrow from now 'till next Christmas. Of ::
:: course, most of it is probably shit, but separating the good ::
:: from the bad is what we do. So in which camp do we currently ::
:: find ourselves? Enter the grievous, brooding Au Champs Des ::
:: Morts. Their debut album, Dans la Joie, landed in my lap a ::
:: few weeks past and has kept me occupied with its gloomy ::
:: sensibilities ever since. Think Alcest if Neige woke up to ::
:: find all his precious forests and trees clear-cut overnight. ::
:: An unhappy man he would be, and that's pretty much what Dans ::
:: la Joie is; moody, depressive, poignant and French. ::
:: ::
:: Dans la Joie opens with "Nos Decombres," wasting little time ::
:: with pleasantries before a slow and punishing riff sets in ::
:: and StΘphane Bayle's blood-curling cries soar above the ::
:: instrumentation. Yes, this is the very same StΘphane Bayle ::
:: of Anorexia Nervosa infamy, and his influence is prominent ::
:: throughout the record. While Au Champs Des Morts does not ::
:: share the same symphonic elements of Anorexia Nervosa, ::
:: Bayle's guitar playing lends Dans la Joie a similar ::
:: ferocity. Perhaps this is why, at least in the opening ::
:: minutes of the record, it doesn't feel as though Au Champs ::
:: Des Morts is offering anything we haven't heard before. The ::
:: dour atmosphere is laid down with finesse and expertise, but ::
:: overall nothing seems to stand out as 'new'. This trend ::
:: continues until the closing moments of the second track, ::
:: where things finally begin to get interesting. ::
:: ::
:: The problems I have with atmospheric black metal always seem ::
:: to arise due to the genre being so predominantly mood- ::
:: driven. The style tends to rely heavily on feelings and if ::
:: the music doesn't click on some sort of emotional level, it ::
:: is often lost on me. Parts of Dans la Joie threaten to go ::
:: down this path, especially when the music gets repetitive. ::
:: The title track in particular is guilty of this offence, and ::
:: you would be forgiven if you thought your player was stuck ::
:: on repeat. It's fortunate then, that Dans la Joie contains ::
:: some very emotive moments elsewhere. StΘphane Bayle and ::
:: bassist Cecile G provide some impressively ardent vocals, ::
:: which combine at numerous points to haunting effect. For ::
:: example, their interweaving voices halfway through "Le Sang, ::
:: La Mort, La Chute" drip with desperation and sorrow in a ::
:: chill-inducing way. The beginning to "Contempler l'Abime" is ::
:: truly quite beautiful, and provides an excellent sense of ::
:: calm within what is otherwise a storm. The albums closing ::
:: track, "La Fin Du Monde," is a tribal ballad unlike anything ::
:: else Au Champs Des Morts has written thus far, and ends the ::
:: album on a high note. ::
:: ::
:: It's these moments of excellence that keep an otherwise ::
:: standard black metal record from slipping into obscurity. ::
:: The mastering job generally helps the record's cause as ::
:: well, giving the music enough crunch without drowning the ::
:: listener under a massive wall of sound. The rhythm section ::
:: is given room to shine, with the drums coming through at ::
:: full force throughout the record. The gentler parts of the ::
:: album feel very ethereal, highly reminiscent of the sound ::
:: Alcest often achieves. My only real complaint with the mix ::
:: is that Cecile's bass guitar is often lost beneath the ::
:: chaos. Sadly, his playing doesn't stand out even when it's ::
:: coming through loud and clear, and a more prominent presence ::
:: from the bassist could have only helped to strengthen the ::
:: atmosphere Au Champs Des Morts was trying to create. ::
:: ::
:: Au Champs Des Morts are at their best when they are crafting ::
:: dynamic, emotive music, but they have not yet found an ::
:: identity of their own. There's a nagging sense of 'sameness' ::
:: here that's difficult to ignore, yet Dans La Joie is such a ::
:: well crafted slab of atmospheric black metal that it's hard ::
:: to deny the quality. Throw in some stand out moments and ::
:: you've got a record more enjoyable than your average ::
:: offering. So fans of black metal rejoice; it's not a ::
:: ground-breaker but this one will keep you sated for more ::
:: than a couple of spins. ::
:: ::
:: . _ _ . ::
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