From the legendary Quebec Black Metal scene comes a debut album from a brand new entity, Sombre Héritage! Set for release via Sepulchral Productions on June 24th.
Stunning samples begin the record with tranquility and a gorgeous feeling of being in nature. Emotive riffs cascade in with a melancholic, bitterly depressive droning. Punchy drums and melodic riffs punch in with a tortured screeching vocal style, blending aggression with introspective depression. There is a feeling to this music very akin to Finnish Black Metal however the Quebec Black Metal sound is also vibrant within this howling disdain. The music is certainly as sombre as the name suggests, falling like rain with haunting guitars and crashing waves of cymbals. With the maniacal vocal utilised in an instrumental fashion, there is a hypnotic effect generated by this music which is spectacular.
Welcoming in insanity, the album continues in this self-contradicting manner blending blistering fury with such dismally dark passages in a gorgeously and seamlessly smooth fashion. Hammering drums pick up with some crushing riffs before we drop repeatedly back into melancholic, chilling soundscapes. Despair is something not only presented but forcefully thrown into the listeners ears with mighty atmospheric prowess when disturbingly chanted vocals permeate the thick slew of visceral riffs and drums. There is endless melody within the catchy guitar work that will grip any Black Metal fans who enjoy some piercing assaults. The monolithic momentum of the record rises and falls so brilliantly and smoothly, you cannot help but be enticed by its depressive-aggressive savagery.
The diverse mood swings we see on this debut album are impressively executed, conjuring so many emotions in less than 40 minutes without ever becoming jarring or too off-kilter. There is a majestic nature to the music but also simplicity. This rise and fall effect I mentioned is supremely effective with the dark waves of slumbering ambience falling into hellfire with storms of blastbeats and grinding riffs coming out of the ether. Though some may find the more depressive sections harder to be won over by, there is plenty of punishing parts that are only accentuated by the bittersweet mournfulness interspersing them. Most impeccable of all is the ability to consistently ebb and flow without it becoming irritating or ill-fitted.
Brooding, dark and melancholic, Sombre Héritage have delivered a magnificently emotive and equally fierce debut album thats self-contrasting nature is interesting enough to keep your attention while volatile enough to shock too. Once again Canada has delivered something unique and masterful in its own right. -8/10
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