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/:: Artist :: Les BΓtards du Roi ::\
:: Album :: Les Chemins de l'exil ::
:: Year :: 2025 ::
:: __ _ _ __ ::
-:--\\-----------------------------------------------------------------//--:-
:: \ / ::
:: . Genre :: Black Metal Source :: CD . ::
:: Label :: Les Acteurs de l'Ombre R.date :: 2026-01-31 ::
_::__ Cat.nr. :: AO-268 S.date :: 2025-10-10 __::_
::// \\::
::/---------------------------------------------------------------------\::
:: ::
/: Encoder :: LAME 3.100 -V0 :\
..: Bitrate :: avg. 266kbps :..
. Quality :: 44.1 kHz/Joint Stereo .
. Size :: 94.25 MB .
. .
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+/ -\------- | | ----\ tracklist /---- | | -------/- \+
/: . : : . :\
/:: ::\
:: 1. La forΩt 5:27 ::
:: 2. L'Γme sans repos 4:29 ::
:: 3. Vers l'Θtoile solitaire 3:54 ::
:: 4. Le chevalier au corbeau 3:46 ::
:: 5. Ord vil merdos 5:02 ::
:: 6. Le val dormant 7:27 ::
:: 7. Les chemins de l'exil 4:13 ::
:: 8. La chevauchΘe cadavΘrique 4:38 ::
:: 9. Sous la couronne de l'ΘternitΘ 8:08 ::
:: ::
:: ::
:: ------- ::
.. >> 47:04 ..
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/:: ::\
:: ::
:: This is another of the newer masked European black metal bands, ::
:: only they use what look like some sort of ::
:: templar-meets-executioner attire with dirty sacks covering ::
:: their faces. From the looks of the sophomore album's cover, I ::
:: expected this to be really raw, Medieval and rustic in ::
:: execution, but in reality it's much more accessible, with a ::
:: cleaner mix of the instruments and an extremely good sense of ::
:: melody. I listened back to their s/t debut album from the ::
:: previous year, and these building blocks were already present, ::
:: but Les chemins de l'exil strikes a much better balance between ::
:: the drums, vocals and guitars, where it had seemed a little off ::
:: prior. Should this description seem too tidy for a band with ::
:: the moniker of Les BΓtards du Roi, fear not, because they keep ::
:: things savage enough with the vocals and some of the more ::
:: stormy riffs as you'll find in "Chevalier au corbeau", etc. ::
:: ::
:: That said, they really thrive on the classic sense of melody ::
:: that is not uncommon in this scene. Bands like Griffon, Aorhlac ::
:: and VΘhΘmence thrive with this aesthetic, but while Les chemins ::
:: d'exil isn't quite as ear-bleedingly graceful and catchy as ::
:: that last comparison, it's got an almost anthemic quality that ::
:: will attach itself to you. There is also plenty of variety, ::
:: with some excellent acoustics here, usually used for intros but ::
:: so good that I almost didn't want them to end in some places. ::
:: In addition to the traditional black metal snarl, there are ::
:: some cleaner vocals, often used over the aforementioned ::
:: acoustics, but also as these melodic choirs that will erupt ::
:: against a surging rhythm. The drums have a great, full feel to ::
:: them which lends passion and propulsion to the faster parts, ::
:: but also a lot of meat to the slower, airier sections where ::
:: you'll be able to pick up on a lot more of the fills. I also ::
:: enjoyed the rhythm guitar tone, it's got a springy and natural ::
:: feel to the distortion which puts some punch into every melody, ::
:: but also works well with such a clean studio mix. ::
:: ::
:: I've said countless times that the French scene is severely ::
:: underrated, with dozens of bands performing at a high level of ::
:: proficiency and composition. Yes, some of the more famous, ::
:: dissonant outliers like Blut Aus Nord have been enormous, ::
:: deservedly so, but I find a lot of these second or third tier ::
:: acts' efforts to explore history and nature through the black ::
:: metal medium to be highly appealing. If you like any of the ::
:: acts I named earlier, or Belenos, or the last couple Seth ::
:: records, get your credit card ready because I think you're also ::
:: going to be impressed with what's on this disc. ::
:: ::
:: . _ _ . ::
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