Temps Morts

"Temps Morts" is the tenth album by the Swiss industrial black metal band Borgne. To all intents and purposes, on the first album (1998), the industrial component manifested itself only in a Mysticum-like drum machine, while musically "I" was atmospheric black metal. Much has changed since then, but the atmospheric past is still making itself felt. To mention but one thing that most of the songs on the album contain a tremolo picking lead line, or at least what is very similar to such an atmospheric element, as the main musical decoration. This is exactly the kind of decoration, not at all the foundation of the compositions. However, it is quite enough to generate a modern version of atmospheric black metal. Of course, "nature" is completely absent in this atmosphere: the album cover conveys / sets it rather accurately – it is an industrial post-apocalyptic landscape, lifeless and monotonous.

Considering that the songs are mostly long, this monotony is rather leadening. The structure of the songs also works in the best way possible to form the people-are-not-welcome-here picture: the guitar and synth parts are not conspicuous by variety, while repetitions are abundantly used, and at times the song is built on a single riff with a few deviation / improvisation. So a guitar or keyboard solo appears like a ray of sunshine, and from a tuneful point of view, it (a solo or lick) surpasses all the composer's efforts that preceded it, this is really music, and before that there was only a background that was carefully hidden behind the synth modulations. There is no help for it, this is industrial black metal.

But not only tremolo picking and keyboarding melodies give away Borgne's "atmospheric roots" on "Temps Morts". Industrial surrogates of acoustic guitar fingerpicking patterns are often generated on the album as well. In particular, the fifth song "I Drown My Eyes into the Broken Mirror" is an analogue of an acoustic instrumental, a kind of "lyrical pause" on the album, typical for many atmospheric black metal works. An electronic rhythm and synth-heavy sound camouflage this instrumental a bit, but on the whole its essence is pretty obvious. The last song, "Everything Is Blurry Now", also starts with a (quasi)acoustic part accompanied by some cosmic noises – the manner is rather melodic here, too. And, of course, ambient inserts. As with any atmospheric black metal album, they are present on "Temps Morts". Well, the same melancholic glooming melodies, but in a pronounced post-apocalyptic incarnation, with a noise touch: the final parts of "The Swords of the Headless Angels", "L'écho de mon mal", "Vers des horizons aux teintes ardentes", "Where the Crown Is Hidden".

There are also songs on "Temps Morts" that under other conditions could be called epic, but the industrial marrow does not allow this: the sixth "Vers des horizons aux teintes ardentes" is very solemn, while the last "Everything Is Blurry Now" is palpably pompous, its first half includes a very slow, oppressive section with riffing in the vein of Celtic Frost. So it can be said that "Temps Morts" contains a variety of black metal influences. However, atmospheric black metal wins anyway.

But for all that, the first song "To Cut the Flesh and Feel Nothing But Stillness" does not really fit into this genre definition. Well, this composition is rather built according to the precepts of Skinny Puppy, with modern vibe – a synth-heavy electronic groove with a deep bassline. Whereas in the guitar riffage one can guess none other than Rammstein – their song of the same name. In truth, it's a bit of a strange idea to put the first song, which actually contradicts the main idea of the album. "To Cut the Flesh and Feel Nothing But Stillness" contains more EBM than black metal, maybe such songs are not very interesting for black metallers to listen to. Well, it's entirely possible that this composition sets the vector for the further development of Borgne. And the second song "The Swords of the Headless Angels" is also not quite industrial / atmospheric black metal yet – although a blast beat section is already appearing here, the guitar part is mostly industrial, without atmospheric piercingness. Only the third "L'écho de mon mal" is "pure" industrial / atmospheric black metal.

As for the vector of development, then the eighth "Even If the Devil Sings into My Ears Again" is an almost complete analogue of the first song – this is a pure industrial composition with a strong, low electronic beat and synth-y touches. The guitar part, squashed in the mix, is again reminiscent of Rammstein, "Reise, Reise" this time. However, a typical black metal tremolo picking lick appears at the end of the song, but it is minimalist and does not save the black metal-ish atmosphere at all. By the way, the previous song, "Where the Crown Is Hidden", also stands out against the general "atmospheric" background, but it still has a very black metal attitude. This is a slow, threatening song that begins like some military march, and even the clanking of caterpillars can be heard here (well, if you have a rich imagination). The second "The Swords of the Headless Angels", by the way, starts out about the same.

It mainly talked about the metal component of the album, it is self understood. On the other hand, even those who are not well versed in electronic music will be able to notice interesting electronic "schticks" on "Temps Morts". For example, in "The Swords of the Headless Angels" at 4:12, a low electronic beat is added to a canonical industrial black metal canvas, it is slower in tempo than a drum machine – and gradually it begins to set the tempo of the whole song. This bifurcation has an almost psychological effect. The finale of "L'écho de mon mal" is notable for its "overdriven" drum machine – the drum beat sound seems to cling to itself and stumble. In "Near the Bottomless Precipice I Stand" an interesting keyboard part enters at 3:35, the drum machine is programmed here unconventionally too, it has a quaint pattern and samplers. In the same song, it is worth noting the drum part from 5:43, very original. Ans check "Where the Crown Is Hidden", it features a thumping drum sound starting at 2:57.

Nevertheless, despite these and other electronic tricks, if you compare "Temps Morts", for example, with the latest Aborym opus "Hostile", it becomes clear that Borgne is playing almost pure black metal. Yes, of course, industrial black metal, but if you now compare "Temps Morts" with "Planet Satan" by Mysticum, then atmospheric black metal outweighs here beyond dispute. By the way, this perception is helped by vocals, canonical harsh black metal vocals. In the fourth "Near the Bottomless Precipice I Stand", it's beginning to feel that the vocals are more black metal-ish than the guitar, in the sense that they have more pristine vibe than the rhythm guitar part. Only "The Swords of the Headless Angels" contains some almost death metal growls, and the singing in a clear voice can be heard in the fifth "I Drown My Eyes into the Broken Mirror", a bit of a weird vocal style on "Stream from the Heavens" by Thergothon.

Summary. "Temps Morts" is atmospheric black metal of the Twenty-First Century, that's that.

The Metal Obsrver

Industrial black metal acts of note are few and far between, and even when you do encounter them, they're not often the most clever hybrids between the two styles, usually focusing on some superficial elements of one of those constituent genres and then leaning into the other. Enter the creepy Swiss Borgne, a project of the ever prolific Bornyhake and keys player Lady Kaos; and while I cannot tell you that they are approaching this combination with the utmost nuance or uniqueness, their albums have become increasingly more entertaining experiences, peaking with ineffable Y, an album with which his latest, Temps Morts, pairs up quite well. A similar mix of aggressive programmed drumming, eerie tremolo picked notes, grisly vocals and eerie synthesizer atmospheres which is highly satisfying if you're the sort to close your eyes and imagine dystopian wreckage.

I'd actually say that this album is slightly more accessible than its predecessor, in that a lot of the guitar and synth lines seem more immediate to hook onto you, but don't mistake that for some sort of sellout, because this is still frightening and hostile. The beats here range from large, clanking splashes of dilapidated machinery to double bass or blast patterns that seem almost as if the guy is trolling us, only then to lay on the mesmerism through the immortally spooky guitar patterns in pieces like "Near the Bottomless Precipice I Stand" and "The Swords of the Headless Angels" (one of my favorite track titles this year). The atmosphere conjured up across this album is nothing short of revelatory, and while there does exist a fair degree of repetition, the music is so effective that it becomes a strength and not at all a weakness. Whether he's firing on pure industrial drum segues or even the more bouncy groove of "To Cut the Flesh and Feel Nothing but Stillness", there's an urgency and violence to this music that demands your respect, and I'm not sure there are many others out there doing it at this level...certainly this album hit me a lot harder than anything the comparable Aborym has done in many years.

To top that off, Temps Morts is enormous...73 minutes across nine tracks, and extremely consistent in the desolate mood it creates, which I have to say is a perfect fit to the bleak cover art of its industrial looking cathedral and nightmarish landscape. There are a few pauses in the aggression, like the softer piece "I Drown My Eyes Into the Broken Mirror" which relies more on piano lines, smaller scintillating synths and spectral whispered vocals rather than outright harsh rasps, but even there the album retains that sense of a consistently unsettling mood, and it's just another of the many surprises that will hook you throughout the album's considerable depths. Like those long cinematic experiences you patiently sit through because you realize you're getting more bang and quality for your bucks, Temps Morts is a pleasure to experience and then to revisit, even to read through lyrically, and though there's a lot of worthwhile material throughout their 20+ year back catalog, this is yet another of the most impressive albums the project has produced.

-autothrall
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