You won’t dream like you used to with Terreur Nocturne.
Formed in 2019 by Oneiros (vocals) and Regne (guitar), the band released their first EP, then recruited Macchabée (guitar) and L’Aveugle (drums) to complete their line-up. In 2023, they completed Solitude Post-Mortem, their debut album, which was released by M.U.S.I.C. Records.
A certain melancholy comes over us from the very first seconds of Hommage Post-Mortem, where a few steps advance towards a gentle melody before joining the heavy saturation, where hoarse cries appear. French vocals add the perfect raw touch to a haunting rhythm that floods us with its torpor, welcoming ghostly backing vocals before Précipices plunges us into its icy harmonics with an intoxicating Old School mix. Guitars answer each other with airy leads while the rhythmic basis rages on, only ceasing to let Terreur Nocturne I sink us back into an ocean of oppressive slowness, where the vocalist is accompanied by Wÿntër Ärvn (Hardiesse, ex-Aorlhac) to develop much more frightening infernal sonorities. The contrast between the track’s different parts is impressive, but Fardeau de mes Peines will put an end to the wave of reverie by placing more aggressive, jerky patterns, retaining the dissonant guitars all the same. Drums remain massive, perfectly supporting the visceral howls and stopping only for a break where a few moments of clear vocals lead us to the finale, then to Parthénos Thánatos, which will first offer soothing guitar before letting darkness take over again. Interesting heavy influences are found in the solos, adding new nuances to the composition before returning to heady tones on Le Bal des Condamnés, a track offering a few happier passages, perfectly fitting with the interpretation of a macabre dance that will eventually die after reaching its climax. The wind blows us on to Malédiction Fantasmagorique, whose harmonics regularly flare up to offer a tortured sound between fury and plaintive touches that eventually disappear into nothingness before exposing us to Tribulations, where the band is joined by Erroiak (Enterré Vivant, Kaldt Helvete, Hrad, ex-Foghorn…). Crazy guitars accompany the vocal duo in their violent lament, then it’s with L’Echo Muet des mes Plaintes and its weeping that the album comes to a close, allowing the four musicians to pour out their sullen dissonance on the world one last time, while occasionally accompanying it with a few majestic choruses.
Terreur Nocturne’s Old School approach is quite appreciable, allowing the band to offer a very raw sound on Solitude Post-Mortem, strengthening both the oppression and the melancholy they constantly spit out.
85/100