Forteresse - Métal noir québécois

Tracks

		Track Name	Length
	1	la moisson de la liberté	08:27
	2	une nuit pour la patrie
	3	la flamme et le lys
	4	de sang et de volonté
	5	métal noir québécois	08:44
	6	honneur et tradition

Photos

Videos

No Video

Information/Write-up

This was the first work for Forteresse, and so far the one that has impressed me the most. It seems that the Canadian black metal scene is starting to get more notice, and that’s absolutely fair, since decent bands have emerged the last years, such as Sombres Forets, Funeral Fog and Forteresse themselves.

For starters, we notice the booklet picture, an aged man with a violin. Someone could say that he holds the violin like a gun. So, we could possibly relate that image with the general revolutionary and historical theme of this album. The music would not be described as raw at all, since the melody here is totally great.

Two songs start with folkish intros, before the actual tracks break in. Riffs are intriguing, and I’d personally characterize them as melancholic, mourning and proud at the same time. Actually, the word nostalgic may fit more. And if we add the lyrical themes, about Canadian history in general, all that makes perfect sense. The voice of Athros is very good and has a depressive tone, while it stays more on the background, adding to the great guitar tunes. Drums are typical black metal drums, with some breakdowns and changes here and there. Nevertheless, they are very well executed. As for the bass, to be honest it’s not very distinctive and just plays along with the guitars.

To summarize, this is a great album that got my attention from the very first listen, with the song “Une Nuit pour la Patrie” haunting me for several consecutive nights. I’d describe this whole work as ideal ambient black metal to my ears.
-Alexandros Gerakopoulos

Comments