ALBUM REVIEW: Nazrak – Cantiques Funebres

Here I review the debut full length from French Black Metal project Nazrak. Set for release on Wolf Spell Records on December 21st!

1. Intro opens things with crystalline ambience and a gorgeously tranquil mood. I think the release ahead is going to be incredibly atmospheric, judging by this short introduction.
2. Le fantôme et le mortel fires right into huge atmospherics, as expected. Stunning riffs cascade over blasting drums, howls of torment meeting them and everything coming together to create such a beautifully orchestral sonic wave. The barrages of darkness that are still full of life are played and written so precisely. There is certainly melancholy in this first track but also plenty of catharsis and positivity too, certainly adding emotional complexity and interesting nuance to the music. This is some killer atmospheric Black Metal, those who prefer the more chaotic and volatile styles such as “War Metal” may not be fond of this, but lovers of huge and epic atmospherics and gloriously melodic Black Metal certainly will enjoy. The synths are so haunting that they really add a special transcendency to the track while the choir sampling elevates that notion further. The clean sining is stunning and really breathe passion into the song, that is just masterful in creating ambient beauty. An excellent piece and first impression!
3. Sous l’œil du sage hits us with some pretty ferocious, catchy and upbeat riffing that blisters into fruition with massive melodies and icy vocals. The mix of cleans and screams together works gloriously at creating this wall of Black Metal sound, underlined with synths that really resonate beautifully. The bitterness of the song mixed with its joyfully calming vibes is really enjoyable to me, filled with contact and unpredictability. Another fantastic and epic piece of music!
4. St Jean de la Porte slowly builds tension with slow tempo riffs, chilling synths and pounding drums. This song is clearly going to grow into something absolutely massive, but what that will be is impossible to predict. The simplistic crawling riffs pick up slightly into this depressive funeral march filled with foreboding and overall this track takes a plunge into much darker territories than the previous ones. The vocals especially have taken a much more aggressive and malicious attack to them which work well with the song, also included are some more stunning synths but this time with some added malevolence. Absolute brilliance!
5. Sapaudia follows up with much more punch but still the tranquil synth atmospherics of the first couple song. After the previous track being a lengthy and impressive appearance standalone it seems Nazrak has come back with rejuvenated energy and life to breath into this grooving yet sombre piece of music. Taking a simpler direction but an equally gorgeous one artistically on this piece makes total sense after the length and complexity of the prior. There are some really awesome folky rhythms in this song that add even more to the Tolkien vibes and melodic side of the music. Breathtaking and astounding, once again!
6. La nuit et l’enfant is the final piece to this beautiful album and I am certainly interested to see how its closure will come to be. Coming into light with more ambience and surreally glowing with life, I am curious to see if this will take the more melancholic road or maybe a lighter finish. The synth work on this piece is absolutely gorgeous, something really angelic is created which is not something one can often say about Black Metal. The cleanly plucked strings sound perfect and totally suit the mood of the track which is one of finality and sombreness but not necessarily despairing of the incoming end. I think this track was a graceful and theatrical bow out and a classy finish to the release. Great work!

This album has been a gorgeous adventure, delving into more atmospheric and light-hearted territories compared to the usual Black Metal release. There was some definitely folky elements to the music too, all adding to the well-crafted and unique soundscapes of the album. I strongly recommend this to fans of bands like: Lustre, Eldamar, Caladon Brood, Druadan Forest and so on. -8.5/10