Triumvirat

There are a few scenes richer in terms of quantity and quality than the “metal noir Quebecois” (Quebec black metal) scene. A lot of great bands regularly release impressive works, generally closely tied to this genre, sometimes with a more ferocious approach and other times with a stronger atmospheric touch. Even though, they general combine both characteristics very appropriately. This time is the band Ossuaire, the one we are going to assess. This project was founded in 2016 so it is still reasonably new, although they have already release two full-lengths and two EPS. As said, the projects coming from Quebec are usually quite active, which is obviously excellent for the tons of fans of this scene around the world.

The mentioned second EP is the newest offering by Ossuaire and its entitled ‘Triumvirat’. What Ossuaire offers in this work is a collection of five songs with an undoubtable high degree of fury, but without lacking completely this kind of haunting atmosphere, that many bands from this region usually have. After a dark and captivating intro, the EP really begins full of strength with the second track ‘La Sainte Purge’. This one is a blasting track of pure black metal with an excellent work riff-wise.

The composition is generally quite fast with tons of blast-beasts, although it fortunately doesn’t lack some changes of tempo through the whole song, combining the aforementioned relentless fast drums with mid-tempo sections. These parts sound quite heavy thanks to the great riffs and the use of the double-bass. The use of these elements and type of pace is something I really enjoy, as it makes you headbang like a beast. The subsequent tracks ‘Triumvirat’ and ‘Ignipotentis’ follow quite similar patterns, being absolutely brutal songs. Both compositions are mainly focused on the fastest side of Ossuaire’s sound. Anyway, the mid-tempo sections are still there but a bit more scarcely used.

On the other hand, ‘Cénotaphe’ is a very interesting closing song, being the slowest and most atmospheric of all the tracks contained in this EP. I personally like this song a lot because of the beautiful main melody and the stronger atmospheric touch. Apart from that, the mainly mid-tempo of the track gives more room to appreciate the melodic essence behind the riffing of this song, which is great. The song and EP reach its end with an enthralling final melody, which makes me think that Ossuaire should consider composing more songs like this one, as they do an unquestionable excellent job.

All in all, ‘Triumvirat’ is a quite enjoyable work by Ossuaire, as it contains the most recognizable essence of the Quebec black metal scene, but especially focused on sounding smashing. In any case, the melody and atmosphere are there, like any black metal release should have.


Originally written for "www.thepitofthedamned.blogspot.com."