_ _______ _ ...:... _ _______ _ ___ / .:::::::::::. \ ___ | / .. (:::::::::::::) .. \ | | . .:::::.`:::::::::::'.:::::. . | | .::.. `:::.::':::`::.:::' ..::. | _ _______ | .::' ::::':::::`:::: `::. | _______ _ \\ | | :: `' ::':`:: `' :: | | // \ | | `:. .::' . `::. .:' | | / . | | .::::::..::::' ... `::::..::::::. | | . | | `:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::' | | .... | | `:' `::::: :: :: :::::' `:' | | .... | ' | : `. ': :: :: :: :: :` .' : | ` | |.....: . .......: :: :: :: :: : ...... . : ....| . ...................: : :: :: :: :: : : ................. . _____________:_____________ _____________:_____________ _ ___\` __ /_\` _______/_\` __ _/_\` /___ _ // __ / (/ ___/ (/ _ (/ /_______/\ _ _ /_________ ___________ ______/\ _ ______________/\__/_ _ \\\\\_________\__/\_________\__/\_____/\_____/\____________/f3!/// - -\-\-----------\__/----------\__/-------\_____/---------------/-/- - - -------------------: : :. ..:: :: . :------------------ - : : :......: :: :` ': :: : .....: : : ___ _ | | : ` ' : | | _ ___ _\---------- : | -------- : B E R C : -------- | : ----------/_ /_\ . : . ..:.. ..:.. . : . /_\ /// . . : : . . \\\ /: :\ /:: Artist :: VΘhΘmence ::\ :: Album :: Par le sang versΘ :: :: Year :: 2019 :: :: __ _ _ __ :: -:--\\-----------------------------------------------------------------//--:- :: \ / :: :: . Genre :: Black Metal Source :: CDDA . :: :: Label :: Antiq Records R.date :: 2019.04.19 :: _::__ Cat.nr. :: Antiq026 Size :: 112,77 MB __::_ ::// \\:: ::/---------------------------------------------------------------------\:: :: :: /: Encoder :: LAME 3.100 -V0 :\ ..: Bitrate :: avg. 266kbps : . . Quality :: 44,1kHz/Joint Stereo . . . Website :: https://www.facebook.com/V%C3%A9h%C3%A9mence-1079174508761708 __ __ _ . : _ ____ _ _ ____ _ : . _ __ __ .\\\\------- : | ---\ /---------------------\ /--- | : -------////. +/ -\------- | | ----\ tracklist /---- | | -------/- \+ /: . : : . :\ /:: ::\ :: 01. ╔popΘe - Par le sang versΘ 09:10 :: :: 02. La sorciΦre du bois lunerive 10:02 :: :: 03. L'╔trange clairiΦre: Partie I 02:02 :: :: 04. L'╔trange clairiΦre: Partie II 09:41 :: :: 05. La derniΦre chevauchΘe 09:39 :: :: 06. Le sous bois, α trois lieues du chΓteau 02:39 :: :: 07. Passage dans les douves 06:38 :: :: 08. La fronde des anges 08:33 :: :: ------- :: .. >> 58:24 .. __ __ _ . : _ ____ _ _ ____ _ : . _ __ __ .\\\\------- : | ---\ /---------------------\ /--- | : -------////. +/ -\------- | | ----\ release notes /---- | | -------/- \+ /: . : : . :\ /:: ::\ :: :: :: Par le Sang VersΘ is one of the most thoroughly entrancing :: :: and gloriously vibrant metal albums I've heard in years, :: :: regardless of sub-genre. It seizes ancient folk traditions :: :: and hurls them forward into the modern age, but without :: :: letting go of the intense devotion to the centuries-old :: :: well-springs of inspiration that gave birth to this record. :: :: :: :: Antiq Records portrays the album is "an immersive and :: :: blazing experience", with lyrical themes inspired by sagas :: :: of chivalry, providing an hour-long journey through a :: :: "medieval-fantastic universe" - and all of that is true. :: :: Abundantly layered with a broad array of instrumentation, :: :: both modern and ancient, and featuring a similar contrasting :: :: hybrid of vocal expressions, the music weaves with rich :: :: colors a great tapestry of human endeavor, both exalted and :: :: humble, mythic yet also grounded in ancient soil, nourished :: :: with spilled blood and watered with tears. The sounds are :: :: joyful, capturing the buoyancy of whirling peasant dances, :: :: and they also channel visions of dramatic panoramic grandeur :: :: and epic tragedy. The album is a beautifully conceived and :: :: meticulously executed work, thrilling in the moment and :: :: lasting in the memory. :: :: :: :: While the main strands of the music - its millennia-crossing :: :: instrumental ingredients, its varying emotional themes, and :: :: its melodic contrasts - recur across the album, the :: :: sequencing of the songs helps to create an album-length :: :: experience in which interest never flags. "╔popΘe - Par Le :: :: Sang VersΘ" makes for an incredibly stirring opener. It :: :: feels like we're on the back of a runaway stallion flying :: :: over sunlit hills and racing through valleys shadowed by :: :: oaks. Clear guitar tones, which then buzz, blaze, and gleam :: :: unfold over an extravagant drum and cymbal pattern, :: :: clattering and booming. The song is vibrant, bright, and :: :: heart-swelling, though lined with melancholy - and it burns :: :: with vehemence through the added texture of harsh, :: :: incendiary vocals. There is a clean singing voice in the mix :: :: as well, carrying the chorus melody in a way that's moving :: :: and memorable. :: :: :: :: In addition to being a thrilling introduction to the album :: :: as a whole, "╔popΘe ..." reveals VΘhΘmence's skill in :: :: crafting variations on an initial melody through the :: :: skirling sound of the guitar, creating in this track :: :: something like a cross between an anthem and a rousing folk :: :: song. The drumming remains extravagant, even as it bolts :: :: through changing patterns, adding to the music's explosive :: :: passion. Through the whole album, the drumming continues to :: :: be jaw-dropping in its impact. :: :: :: :: "La SorciΦre du Bois Lunerive" explodes from the beginning :: :: in another surging race, propelled by blasting drums and :: :: torrential riffing - creating a mood that's more frenzied :: :: and pained than the opener, but still blazing in its :: :: emotional intensity. And then the music suddenly shifts into :: :: a bright medieval acoustic guitar harmony, and when joined :: :: by the metal instruments, the song begins to dance in a :: :: whirl and spiral upward like a gyre of flame, the riff :: :: sounding like a bagpipe, accented by an ecstatically :: :: flickering solo. A bridge leads to an inspiring clean vocal :: :: harmony, followed by the frightening gasps and snarls of the :: :: harsh vocals and a darting acoustic guitar melody backed by :: :: a head-moving drum rhythm and the shimmer of alluring :: :: ambient sound. At last, the music soars again, as both the :: :: guitar and the drums power through electrifying variations :: :: of sound. :: :: :: :: Through these two tracks, VΘhΘmence introduce us to most of :: :: the main ingredients that make the album so distinctive - :: :: but not all. "L'╔trange ClairiΦre: Partie I" creates a :: :: dramatic change in feeling and volume, presenting a moody :: :: but sorcerous instrumental of acoustic guitar, fiddle, a :: :: deep thumping drum, and perhaps a tambourine - and the long :: :: second Part of the song, while again involving metal :: :: instruments, seems to channel a mood of anguish interwoven :: :: with the usual strands of flame. As the galloping pace of :: :: the song relents, the melody drags, moans, and weeps, :: :: augmented by tortured howls. It's a new kind of resonance in :: :: the music compared to what has preceded it, but there's :: :: still more to come - spoken words over strummed acoustic :: :: guitar and vibrant percussion, a sparkling melody layered :: :: with flute, whistle, and voice, and a final torrent of :: :: racing sound, with strident, even maniacal, voices and a :: :: glorious yet agonized guitar lead providing a crescendo of :: :: remarkable, heart-bursting power. :: :: :: :: Your head might be spinning by the end of that track, but :: :: "La DerniΦre ChevauchΘe" (The Last Ride) will send it off in :: :: yet another direction, creating a mythic and epic musical :: :: pageant. Rapid, somersaulting drums and a gleaming, gliding, :: :: and whirling melody, together with intense cries, create a :: :: sense of angst and tension, a feeling of impending downfall :: :: despite its fieriness. As savage vocals return, roaring and :: :: shrieking and crying, the music transforms into a :: :: transcendent warlike charge of wild and dramatic intensity. :: :: As that rush subsides, a grand panoramic melody unfolds, :: :: which sounds wounded yet full of pride, a feeling of honor :: :: upheld at terrible cost. You can actually hear galloping :: :: hooves and the clash of steel near the end, just before a :: :: final eruption of thundering drums and rampant melody that :: :: waves like a banner in the wind. :: :: :: :: In the sequencing of songs we're given a moment to breathe :: :: again after such a breathtaking epic narrative, as "Le Sous :: :: Bois, α trois Lieues du ChΓteau" presents a relatively brief :: :: interlude of birdsong and acoustic picking, of whistle or :: :: flute, a contemplative, introspective piece which seems :: :: wistful yet hopeful. :: :: :: :: And with that meditative interlude, we're off to the races :: :: again, albeit in earthier environs than the fantastical :: :: place where "La DerniΦre ChevauchΘe" took place. "Passage :: :: dans les Douves" is a glorious, fiery, heart-pumping dance :: :: whose bright, rippling riffs whirl us up in the air. And :: :: again, we're treated to the dulcet tones of a darting, sun- :: :: dappled acoustic guitar melody and the sublime pulse of a :: :: lilting flute harmony, before we're caught up in the dance :: :: again, the electrifying guitar melody resembling a devilish :: :: reel, like bagpipes and fiddle at an old-country peasant :: :: celebration - high up in the clouds. :: :: :: :: In many ways, "La Fronde des Anges" draws together all the :: :: strands of the music in a fantastic finish to the record, :: :: while also introducing a few new experiences. The dulcet :: :: tones of an angelic choir greet our ears at first, and then :: :: the drums drive, and the guitar skirls and whirls in another :: :: glorious dance while those angelic voices continue high :: :: above. There are also harsh vocals and blasting drums, :: :: joined by a sweeping, melancholy melody that takes us again :: :: into epic territory, as well as an interlude of bright :: :: chiming tones (I have no idea what the instrument is, but :: :: the sound is very cool) over heavy ominous chords. And :: :: what's this?!? A Maiden-esque riff and a head-moving back- :: :: beat! That chiming melody persists, but through that :: :: accompaniment becomes elevated to something glorious. :: :: :: :: "La Fronde des Anges" gives us one final, fiery, whirling, :: :: folk-like dance - though it's those ethereal voices that :: :: actually close the album in its last seconds, as if to :: :: remind us that everything we've experienced has occurred in :: :: a place that lives in memory, or imagination, rather than :: :: anything of the world we see around us. :: :: :: :: I fear the preceding, track-by-track, descriptions have :: :: become tedious. I couldn't resist doing it, which I suppose :: :: is a measure of my own enthusiasm for the album, and it :: :: certainly wasn't necessary, since you need no guide in order :: :: to find the player below and experience this for yourself. :: :: Further, and probably more interesting, insights might have :: :: been provided if I had an understanding of the lyrics, but I :: :: don't. All I have is an abundance of strong emotions :: :: flourishing in the presence of these songs, and I hope :: :: you'll feel just as fervently carried away. :: :: :: :: . _ _ . :: \: :. \\ ___________ . ___________ // .: :/ __\____ :: ____ ___\ _ / BERC : 2019 \ _ /___ ____ :: ____/__ \\\f3! :: \\\ __ _/_________i_________\ /___/ /// :: cRO/// \ :: :\-\___________\_ ___ / _ _/___________/-/: :: / :: | . . _ _ _/ __/ . \_ _ _ . . | :: : :::::::: | | \\\\\/ _______\____|\ \///// | | :::::::: : :: | | -\-\/____/-------------\____\/-/- | | :: :: | | \ :|: / | | :: : : | . ` ::: ' . | : : . . | : ::: : | . . | :::....:::....::: | : ::::::::::::::::: : . :::''``:::''``::: . : ::: : . ::: . .:. :