France – Page 2 – Metal Eclipse Reviews

Igorrr – Amen

Metalcatto

This has been a week dedicated to everything strange in Metal, so what better way to head into the weekend than with the weirdest of them all? It’s Igorrr, the embodiment of French weirdness. With a long career of unpredictable Avant-Garde, Electronic, and Classical influences, the project has stayed consistently risky as the years have passed. The real question now is whether Amen can keep giving us something new, or if we’re finally going to get fed up with the gimmick. I mean, there has to be a moment when this starts to feel like an AI summary, right?

ODC – Twisted Love

Metalcatto

As you might know by now, my relationship with Nu-Metal is more complex and conflictive than the Indian-Pakistani border. That said, ODC is a band I basically discovered by accident while doing mercenary work and decided to dig deeper, because not only Black Metal from your mom’s basement deserves chances. So what does Twisted Love have for us? Is it going to be a guilty pleasure or a “Korn concert” pleasure? Which one is the good one is up to you! Let’s do this!

Eminentia Tenebris -Whispers of the Undying

Metalcatto

It’s been a while since we’ve been to space! It was so hot last year, while now it seems to have cooled down (that’s a fact!). However, Eminentia Tenebris bring us something peculiar in Whispers of the Undying. It’s a space opera! And who doesn’t like those? Especially when they come in the form of Symphonic/Black Metal that has the rawness and drama that Dimmu Borgir has been lacking for the last twenty years. Also, is it possible that for once Antiq didn’t send us something recorded with a potato? Let’s find out!

Impureza – Alcázares

Metalcatto

It’s hard to keep a gimmick going for long, but if there’s one band that’s taken it to the next level, it’s Impureza. The French-Spanish band sings in Spanish about the fall of the Aztec Empire on La Caída de Tonatiuh (this has to be the musical equivalent of an Asian fusion restaurant). This time, though, it’s leaning even harder into its flamenco roots, and with Alcázares, the project seems determined to win over those who found Tonatiuh a bit too weird. But hey, this is Death Metal—how strange can it really get?

Enterré Vivant – Akuzaï

Metalcatto

Whether you like it or not, we live in an interconnected world, where people end up being or living in places they didn’t plan to be in the first place. Enterré Vivant is a French project. However, its creator has been living in Japan for 25 years, so it wouldn’t be wrong to call him at least part Japanese—which is why Akuzaï got my attention. How would French/Japanese Black Metal sound? Is it going to be a cheap gimmick, or is it going to take the best of both worlds? Let’s see.

Cercle du Chêne – Récits d’Automne et de Chasse

You look at Cercle du Chêne‘s Récits d’Automne et de Chasse art and think, “Oh, this must sound lovely and cute—it’ll remind me of my happy days watching Disney movies.” However, a seasoned reviewer like me sees this art and thinks, “Oh no! This is probably going to sound like Watership Down and have a lot of talking because it’s French Black Metal, and they have to let us know it’s French, you know?” Still, I was curious to see what this strange mix of Dungeon Synth and Black Metal had to offer. I mean, we tend to not even listen to these kinds of albums at MER, but sometimes, the underdogs deserve a chance in life.

Skaphos – Cult of Uzura

It’s been a while since we covered anything coming from animal-loving labels like Transcending Obscurity. So, I went to my collapsed email box and found an album with a cool and Lovecraft-like cover from la France! Of course, I had to give it a go. Skaphos is a Blackened Death Metal band. As a style that many have tried and failed to master, it’s a complex balance between the fury and sorrow of both genres, but Cult of Uzura aims to defy these expectations, and I’m okay with that. In fact, as long as it doesn’t just blast from beginning to end, that’ll be enough for me!

Decline of the I – Wilhelm

I hate being late, but what can I do when all the bands want to release something cool on Valentine’s Day? (so much for being evil music!) Having said that, Decline of the I is probably the last thing you want to put on to set the mood. Wilhelm is an album with layers and horrors that aren’t for that kind of atmosphere (unless you’re reading this carefully, in which case you love anything disturbing and strange). I’ll do my best to even try to define what the album is going for, because this is a wild animal, and I’m not sure we can tame it. But how about we try!

Inborn Suffering – Pale Grey Monochrome

Pegah

Pain and suffering are always inevitable for a large intelligence and a deep heart. The really great men must, I think, have great sadness on Earth.

Fyodor Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment

The Great Old Ones – Kadath

If you’re wondering why I’m so late with this review, it’s because we didn’t get the promo, and I had to wait like a total pleb for the album to come out. Humiliating, I know! However, I’m a huge fan of The Great Old Ones. The band has been delivering astonishing and terrifying Lovecraft-inspired Black Metal for more than a decade now. Ever since EOD, I’ve been hooked. So, my expectations are as high as they can get when it comes to Kadath. I almost feel sorry for these guys and the impossible standards they’ll be subjected to.