French occult Black Metallers YSENGRIN are back with their third full length offering of alchemical musical oddities. Set for release via I, Voidhanger Records on July 17th.
Folky, medieval sounding acoustic guitars set off our ancient and mystical journey before hammering drums and raw, grinding riffs alongside snarled vocals join. Violent and eerie, the cold Black Metal is reminiscent of bands like Necromantia, Mortuary Drape and Funerary Bell. The sound is dominated by chunky and distorted bass which thunderously ruptures through the mix of creepy guitars, pounding drums and spewed vocals. This is certainly conjuring a dark flame of a Black Metal sound that may be more obscure than the typical Scandinavian variant but is equally as important and influential. Crushingly raw and brutal, Ysengrin is just as fantastic, powerful and dauntingly heavy as ever.
Continuing through the record is a very ancient sounding use of melody and instrumentation that is presented in a Black Metal formula however does not rely on traditional Black Metal song structures or typical riffs. Ysengrin have chosen their own path and it is certainly interesting, additionally reassuring to see Black Metal bands stray from the comfort zone of what is considered “appropriate” with a much more expansive sound thank to their experimentation. Dancing bass lines and visceral riffs continually churn away along some pulverising drum hammering and really gruesome vocals. This is undeniably creepy with a strong ritualistic presence in the music while with some pretty rocky grooves can also be rather catchy at times too. Additionally we even see some psychedelic elements nuanced in the diverse soundscapes.
Certain riffs and more so the guitar solos have quite a traditional Heavy Metal feeling akin to Root or Mercyful Fate, this works brilliantly with the savage and mystically enchanting sound which is overall very rhythm heavy. Crashing and booming with a chaotic volatility, Ysengrin manage to take a very old school sound and refresh it with a shocking, bold and violent display of aggression and occultism, defining the dangerous nature of Black Metal with their odd, doomy drone of malevolence. French Black Metal is typically very melancholic, something Ysengrin clearly disregard with their abrasive music far more akin to the Greek and South American scenes of the late 80s and early 90s, really making them stand out.
A ferociously dark and ancient slab of mysticism that may be a bit too “out-there” for many Black Metal fans but those who value the roots of the genre, even prior to Norway’s domination, will find infinite enjoyment in this gloriously eerie record which I certainly believe stands out as one of the more unique releases of recent. -8/10
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