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! ! ! ! !
Artist......: Drastus
Album.......: La croix de sang
Year........: 2019
Genre.......: Black Metal
Type........: Album
Label.......: NoEvDiA
Language....: English
Source......: WEB/FLAC (16bit)
Quality.....: 959kbps / 44.1 kHz / Stereo
Tracks......: 7 tracks
Playtime....: 00:46:52
Size........: 335.8 MiB
R.Date......: 2026-07-01
S.Date......: 2019-03-01
Url.........: https://open.qobuz.com/album/vbybzmrxgf9ic
01. Nihil Sine Polum 5:24
02. Ashura 5:35
03. Crawling Fire 8:46
04. The Crown of Death 8:49
05. Hermetic Silence 2:23
06. Occisor 6:07
07. Constrictor Torrents 9:50
France is the birthplace of one of the most profound
modern day underground Black Metal scenes. They have
managed to take the genre a step further through vast
experimentation with bands like Peste Noire and
Deathspell Omega, inspiring a whole new generation of
bands throughout the world. Somewhere there, under a
cloak of darkness, you will find Drastus, an innovative
one man Black Metal band that stands out from the rest
of the bunch.
Drastus through hard work have managed to capitalize all
the elements that make the French scene so unique, along
with some Icelandic influences from the likes of
Svartidau├░i, and present them to us through their latest
release "La Croix de Sang". An album with a spirit
shrouded in darkness, a combination of complex
compositions and showcase of skillful writing, is
without a doubt a step further from their debut album.
Specifically, the installation of intricate drumming,
that lacked from their previous work, along with being
very meticulous to every little detail, lifts the album
up to a whole new level of existence.
The album kicks off with "Nihil Sine Polum", an
outstanding album opener that sets the dark tone of the
album from the beginning, with high pitched vocals
before concluding with some amazing tremolo picked
guitars. Coming up next, "Ashura", comes crushing in
with a wave of intensity explosion, ominous vocals and
blast beats appearing out of nowhere. "Crawling Fire"
demonstrates everything this album has to offer creating
a frightening atmosphere in agony. The combination of
harsh and clean vocals works exceptionally well with the
seething guitar riffs to produce a stunning result.
"The Crown of Death" is a continuation of the
frightening experience that the previous introduced us
into. Groaning riffs, clean vocals and masterful
showcase of complex drumming make this track one of the
standouts. "Hermetic Silence" is an instrumental track
providing the album with ambience and mystical
atmosphere, while also enabling the listener to
contemplate upon what has passed and what's yet to come.
The last fifteen minutes are a great unification of two
prolific tracks that make for a perfect epilogue.
"Occisor" is my personal favorite, with jaw dropping
ceremonial chants, thunderous riffs and piercing
menacing aura. To finish it off, "Constrictor Torrents"
is a multi-layered dark track that takes you away from
reality to a trip of finding your inner-self.
In conclusion, this album is a journey full of thrilling
moments, filled with variety bringing forth a modern
style of Black Metal full of aggression. A very
professional production complements the album's elements
and dynamic tempo changes very well, while the lyrical
themes consist of occultism, cosmos and death. Drastus
have managed to take their place in the French elite and
is a band that will definitely concern us in the years
to come.