Cantique Lépreux is back to life.
Formed in Quebec in 2014, the band led by Blanc Feu (guitar/vocals/keyboards, Chasse-Galerie, Mêlée des Aurores), Cadavre (drums, Acédia, Au-delà des Ruines, Chaos Catharsis, Chasse-Galerie, Mêlée des Aurores, Obvurt), Matrak (bass, Chasse-Galerie, Délétère, Forteresse, Mêlée des Aurores) and Ascèse (guitar, Acédia) unveil Le banissement, their third album, on Eisenwald.
The sound of first track Le ravissement gradually builds up before submerging us, bringing out the visceral vocal parts in the process. This unique melodic touch perfectly complements the band’s dark and sometimes impressive basos, which we contemplate by imagining ourselves wandering through the landscape of the cover art by German painter August Piepenhagen, just as on Fuir, which immediately follows, continuing this rush into the unknown. Chilling harmonics run through the composition, while allowing for more dissonant, soothing moments, broken by the drums that take us to the epic Rivières rompues, a long composition where beauty and fury answer each other as equals. A veritable hymn to wandering, the track is perfect for taking us on a mental journey as the musicians weave this epic soundtrack, including a cutting solo and a break that noticeably soothes the riffs for the aerial touch that follows, before darkening again on the frightening Archetypes. The voice returns to haunt the anguished rhythm, where a few eruptions of enchanting leads create a contrast with the latent oppression, before returning to the rage on Par la gueule des fantômes, where guitars hypnotize us with intriguing repetitive spikes. Its particular atmosphere gives this track a rather strange feeling, at once fascinating and disquieting, especially on the exhilarating final, which suddenly ends to make way for the hazy Le rêve primordial, where gloomy and melancholy influences collide to create a torrent of intense darkness. I was surprised by the few softer notes that melt into the background, which eventually grow to invade our minds before facing Consécration, which ignites without delay and lets the band unleash their full potential, remaining anchored in their own rather majestic approach which they weave by adding transcendent vocal parts right up to the last note.
Quebec’s Metal Noir has always had that special aura, so different from the rest, and Cantique Lépreux is a proud representative of it. Le banissement grabbed me from the very first seconds, and fascinated me throughout its dreamlike journey through the dark forests perfectly represented by its artwork.
95/100