Véhémence - Par Le Sang Versé

Key Facts

Country: 🇫🇷

Genre: Epic/Medieval Black Metal

Release Date: 15th February 2019

Record Label: Antiq Records

Band Members

Tulzcha - Guitars, Bass, Keyboards, Flute

Hyvermor - Vocals, Flute, Psaltery

Véhémence - Épopée, Par le Sang Versé

Review

Rating (out of 5🤘): 🤘🤘🤘🤘

Favourite Tracks: La sorcière du bois lunerive, Épopée - Par le sang versé, L'étrange clairière: Partie II, Passage dans les douves, La fronde des anges

A mysterious French band that I have had the upmost pleasure to stumble upon in my black metal music discovery adventures. Rated 12th in Sputnik Music's Best Black Metal Albums of 2019, I thought I'd give it a shot as I was primarily drawn in by the amazing medieval style cover art. Mixing the epic and melodic with the raw and ruthless elements of black metal Par Le Sang Versé is an ambitious and adventurous album that reminds me very much of the Amercian band Obsequiae (Aria of Vernal Tombs is a must listen in my book), who also writes music in a similar style. A very interesting combination of instrumentation and songwriting presented in the most elaborate and ornate way to tell stories of fantasy, medieval saga and myth. On a side note, instead of butchering the French spellings I've just had to copy and paste them, better be safe than sorry. 

Musically, it is an intriguing and interesting combination of traditional medieval instruments alongside brutal guitars and drums, which does lead to some very unique and creative songwriting. As I mentioned before, I am very much reminded of Obsequiae's Aria of Vernal Tombs. There is something very visceral yet romantic about the lyrics being sung in French instead of English. It seems the band have fully embraced the stories they're singing about French myth and legend or fantastical tales and it adds another element of authenticity to this album, much like Saor's Forgotten Paths (don't tell me you can't hear his Scottish accent when he growls). What will grab you the most is the fully acoustic folk parts in the middle of some of the songs. I personally really enjoy acoustic guitars in black metal as I feel they give the proceeding section a massive oomph in power as it varies the dynamics (an example of me doing this is on Vanaheimr's A Call To Arms). There is a very big emphasis on melody and harmony throughout this album also, which is always refreshing to hear in black metal now and again. Trumpets, acoustic guitars, flutes, a whole host of traditional and unconventional metal instruments make their way on to this album, and with the songs averaging around eight minutes you never know precisely when you'll have an acoustic or mellow section amongst the chaotic black metal sections. That type of surprising songwriting that keeps you on the edge of your seat isn't very common these days, in my opinion anyway, and I feel that Véhémence have achieved that with great authenticity. This variance gives the music a unique atmosphere and teleports you to a medieval French landscape where you can imagine these stories beginning, unfolding, and concluding right in front of you. Overall, this is a very creative and thought out album musically and the adventure around the French landscape of castles and château's is definitely one you should take yourself on. 

Production on the other hand, is just as epic as the music. Everything has been delicately layers with great thought with neither the black metal or the traditional sections overpowering each other to full immerse the listener in the music's ambience. The album is a step away from the usual black metal rawness and brutality and has more of a progressive metal cleanliness to it, which I really like. I think the best example of both sides of Véhémence's musical spectrum really working together is in Passage dans les douves. The flute with its graciously flowing melody over the thunderous raw of black metal underneath. I love the guitar tones on this album. They're very clean but also pack the punch that is required of them, with that in mind every rhythm and melody can be heard so clearly that you can tell a lot of time has gone into mastering them. The choral mix on La fronde des anges is beautiful and the reverb fully emulates a medieval church setting (possibly the real thing?). With the mix being as epic as the music this is a hidden gem that I've stumbled across. 

This has been an awesome find for me, and I'll definitely be putting this album into regular rotation. It's packed with everything I love; stories, medieval music and black metal! Check out Véhémence's  Par Le Sang Versé now!

Véhémence - Par Le Sang Versé