Review 634 : Nature Morte – Messe Basse – English

New chapter for Nature Morte.

Created in 2015 in France, the band releases a first demo in 2016, then an album in 2018 followed by a split with Hegemon in 2020. In 2021, Chris Richard (bass/vocals), Vincent Bemer (drums) and Stevan Vasiljevic (guitar) offer us Messe Basse, with Source Atone Records.

Describing Nature Morte’s music is not an easy thing. Anchored in a Post-Black with Shoegaze shades, after some listening sessions I feel their music as a tsunami. Only Shallowness is weighing since the beginning with this airy introduction, then the wave suddenly strikes before riffs coupled to howlings relentlessly crush us during several minutes. The quietness calls for violence again, then the outro allows the band to use a sample of a Goerge Orwell quote, then the pattern repeats itself with White Goat, Dark Hoof, the first song unveiled by the band. The song is oppressive but very majestic, offering an impressive and striking contrast, just like Knife, a quite dark song. Airy effects surround us before the rhtyhmic’s assault, then magic operates.
T.S.O.C. is a bit different from the other compositions, melting an unhealthy groove to some soft notes and gloomy howlings for a short song before Beautiful Loss, a new wave of oppression and blackness. The song slowly increases intensity thanks to reverb before unleashing furious riffs. The short break allows us some breath of fresh air before being buried again until the outro, then Night’s Silence unveils an ice-cold and contemplative rhythmic composed of a haunting basis and soaring harmonics. The band permanently mesmerizes us, offering a heavier comeback before a worrying final. The album ends with Messe Basse, a quite minimalistic melancholic and oppressive instrumental that makes us want to play the journey again and again.

Whether everybody agreed on Nature Morte’s first album, it will be the same for Messe Basse. The band is rising in its suffocating, melancholic and airy style the musicians perfectly develop, bringing a breathtaking contrast.

95/100

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