Au peuple de l'abîme

The way this album begins, with absolutely throat cutting, vicious riff and insanely blasting drumming quickly caught my attention. If I didn't know, I would certainly think that I listen to another Icelandic black metal sensation from Terratur Possessions, as atmosphere and quality wise this opening song is very alike. But no, it's nothing Icelandic, but a French band - so, from pretty damn great black metal scene also. Here's Heir with their debut full length album "Au peuple de l'abîme", released through Les Acteurs de l'Ombre Productions. Yeah, one my favourite black metal labels and another great release from them. I can definitely say so, not only about LADLO, but also about "Au peuple de l'abîme". I know Heir already from the 2016's split In Cauda Venenum / Heir / Spectrale. As far as I remember, I enjoyed their music there, although it wasn't so strictly black metal influenced, but more like progressive, experimental post / extreme metal sort of stuff. Well, with songs like "Au siecle des siecles", Heir sounds much more malicious and aggressive than on the split CD. And much more black metal, what I like a lot.

But they do merge together different styles of music, so along with black metal there's plenty of dissonant riffs, long instrumental parts, post / drone stuff, etc. I love that overwhelming heaviness, which comes from almost every riff on this album, whether the tempo is neckbreaking fast or more doomy. I love how Heir keeps the balance between all these various styles and emotions, even if sometimes the contrast can be quite big. But damn, that's what I love about this record - that it's so unpredictable. I love the most furious and fastest fragments the most, but there's something truly mesmerizing about the slower parts also. I am truly surprised by the quality of the songwriting, how great riffs could be found here, how well it all has been putted together and arranged and how intriguing these 40 minutes of music were. Heir has plenty of great, but uncommon ideas, what makes this album a stand out even among other so-called post / black metal records. At the same time, I am grateful that they haven't push these borders too far from the traditional means, in result we get a very straight forward and vicious, intense music. Give a listen to songs like "L'Heure d'Helios" and "Au siecle des siecles", which probably are my favourites, and judge yourself.

Well, what else can I say... Albums like "Au peuple de l'abîme" may not be for traditionalists, for people, who would rather only listen to the more primeval and archaic forms of black metal. Heir belongs to the group of bands, which dare to do something a bit different, but do so in great style. I am happy to know such albums and it's always a pleasure to listen to them. After the truly spectacular album from Au Dessus this may be my favourite release from LADLO of the recent months. Strongly recommended.

Standout tracks: "L'Heure d'Helios", "Au siecle des siecles"
Verdict: 80/100

From reviewing their split with In Cauda Venenum and Spectrale last year, I was already prepared for the sort of onslaught Heir was going to manifest. Now, after surviving their full-length debut Au peuple de l'abîme I can attest to the fact that there are no surprises here, the experience is quite consistent with the previous material, an ungodly amalgam of blasted, rasping black metal and sludgier aesthetics that generally dominate the slower passages throughout the record. Granted, at either of these styles alone, the band proves competent, but where this album goes a little further is to vary up the material even more than that, with slower, atmospheric passes in which the drums die down to a din, and some cleaner guitars and bass lines are allowed to conjure up a realm of graceful contrast.

And I'll say it, if NOT for those particular passages, and where they're strung out about the rather lengthy tracks (all around 7-9 minutes), I might have taken away a lot less from the band. When they are launching into their utmost momentum, you're getting a very stripped, noisy, filthy take on traditional black metal which often errs on the side of pure aggression, with little distinct note variation, like the opening to "Au siècle des siècles"; occasionally with a better, more melodic note selection as you'll hear in "L'heure d'Hélios". The mid-paced or slow parts center in on a lot of jangly dissonant notes picked over steady, simple beats and crashing chugs and chords, sometimes letting the nihilistic barks of the frontman sneer out over a very simple, eerie backdrop. This latter portion of the album is almost unanimously my favorite, a lot more evocative of fear and uncertainty than when they're off into a full froth frenzy, but then again those moments of the album also create a strange psychological give and take, as if you were being lulled with drugs and then jolted back into a heart pounding state of conscious awareness.

Don't get me wrong, there are places where these two aesthetic poles collide down the middle, and Au peuple de l'abîme transforms into a truly well-rounded outing, especially where they bust out some unexpected, warmer feeling, glorious element like the bridge to "Meltem". While not a technical or complex record by any means, there are plenty of ideas here, and the band is cautious to implement them without overwhelming the fundamental sounds of the genres in which they meddle and mash. I don't know that I always felt the patience to enjoy the entirety of these tracks, but at the very least Heir does enough to deviate from excessive repetition and there are more than enough moments of elation through the 40 that they've written. Perhaps this is not quite a band at the level of eclectic aural stimulation as peers like Blut Aus Nord, but they are certainly worthy of reaching more ears than they currently do, and Au peuple de l'abîme is a substantial first album with enough replay value to leave its mark, and enough potential to build off.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

Heir is a French five piece that formed in 2015 that has previously released an EP and a split with In Cauda Venenum and Spectrale, though the band hasn’t seemed to garner much attention over the past two years. French label, Les Acteurs de l’Ombre Productions moved the band over from its imprint label, Emanations, who released the split, to the label proper for the release of their debut full length, Au peuple de l’abîme. It’s a destructively brilliant blending of styles, firmly rooted in the grand traditions of the French black metal scene, yet with a thunderous voice all its own.

Though the album carries with it a propensity for crushingly weighty passages and introspective wandering, it would be a stretch to consider Heir a stereotypical example of French black metal. Sure, the scene’s hallmarks of blazing, black metal riffing, monstrous walls of rampant percussion, and deep, cavernous growls are there, but Heir brings the almost whimsical, post-black metal of recent years into sharp focus. Even with this penchant for delving into flowing post-black metal, and the passing keyboard background, the rhythm section tends to fire away offering at these moments, yielding a brief glimpse of melody amid a near-constant rain of hellfire. There are a few sections that rein in the destruction, in favor of staggering groove and minor key melody, like the closing track, but these moments stand in defiant contrast to the rest of the album.

The overabundance of post-black metal bands in recent years has certainly soured my taste for the style, yet Heir is able to weave these influences into their sound without losing their virility. Honestly, Heir is able to provide an endless gauntlet of fiery riffing that is blistering and technically proficient. It makes those moments of slow-burning, post-infused music that much more poignant, being surrounded by bursts of frenetic metal. Though the members have yet to be associated with any other acts in the scene, their songwriting and delivery is rather mature and seasoned in scope; this isn’t just some hackneyed noodling or blast and destroy type album.

Au peuple de l’abîme has certainly been one of the biggest surprises I’ve stumbled across this year. Heir takes the fire and fury of the modern French black metal scene and adds a healthy dose of wandering post-black metal for good measure. Imagine, if you will, the likes of Aosoth or Merrimack crossed with just a dash of White Ward. Heir have given themselves a fine foundation, so it will be exciting to see where these guys go from here.

Written for The Metal Observer.