Sombretour stands before us.
Created by French musician Jérémie « V. Griseval » Goyet (all instruments/vocals), the project calls on Hannes Grossmann (drums, Alkaloid, Aortha, Eternity’s End, ex-Necrophagist, ex-Obscura…) and Topias Jokipii (vocals, Chestcrush, Sunken, ex-Primal Tyrant…) to give life to its first album, To any World beyond the Tomb.
The album will be released first digitally, then on cassette by the Canti Eretici label.
The album begins with To any World beyond the Tomb, the eponymous track with a gentle introduction that eventually ignites and adopts Old School roots rooted in Death Melodic, as well as some rather slow, heavy moments that stand in stark contrast to the livelier passages. Abrasive harmonics are transformed into soaring notes, but it’s not long before the sound ventures back into aggression before No Star will light my coming Night lulls us to sleep, before in turn letting itself be won over by violence. The duet between the clear and saturated vocals is of the finest effect, creating a hypnotic diversity with multiple complementary facets that flow naturally together, adopting chilling touches until Her Spectral Imagination takes its place, soothing our minds with its simplicity and gentle melodies. The track acts as an interlude leading into Remembrance never dies, which is immediately darker and above all highly melancholic, letting the howls dominate while reserving a few places for the quietude that emerges from this haunting cocoon. The track ends peacefully enough, and is followed by A Spell: the Winterwind, which gradually develops before really becoming tinged with rage and unleashing its full force, but remains rooted in a surprising duality and richness. The album has already reached its final track, the intoxicating In Dungeons Dark I cannot sing, whose riffs borrow openly from Doom/Death with their hazy touches and oppressive atmosphere, giving the finale hints of desolation.
To any World beyond the Tomb may be a little short, but it does have the merit of introducing the Sombretour universe to the world. The project is, of course, forged in Old School Melodic Death, but it doesn’t hold back when it comes to borrowing darkness and melancholy.
80/100
