Eminence

The third strike in a row from the great French label Antiq records after the fantastic new albums by Hanternoz and newcomers Ascète. This time though they have turned to a Russian band despite the (at least to me) pretty French sounding name of the outfit. In fact all of them are current or past members of the HM2 worshippers Wombripper, whose 2018 album “From the Depths of Flesh” I highly enjoyed. In fact this album is still one of my go-to works in case I am in the mood for a bit of chain-sawing action. Listening to Passéisme’s debut full length “Eminence” with the background info in mind one can clearly see the influences of said outfit, as there are sprinkles of death metal and a certain punky attitude mixed into the overall sound.

This impression starts with the vocals which have more of a raspy tone and remind me quite a bit of singers like Riley Gale (RIP) or Martin van Drunen. Maybe not as deep and upbeat, but certain similarities are there – at least to my ears. The songwriting shows the experience of the musicians involved, with the music always packed with a fiery ferocity and real power. That being said while the music is pretty aggressive most of the time they have not forgotten to throw in the kind of glorious melodies we have come to appreciate from Antiq releases and stuff coming out of France in general. Most songs are downright infectious to experience, as the venom works its way through your ears into your brain with astonishing speed. Maybe this album is not as easy on the ear during the first spin like e.g. “Par le sang verse” by Véhémence has been when it hit scene in 2019, but some of the folky and medieval harmony sequences have a similar style and impact.

As well something enjoyable is the structure and the progression from one riff and melody bleeding into the next one and so on, until certain pieces and chords are repeated all over again, often with some subtle adoptions. This also proves that the rhythmic content is well structured and properly performed, and while overall there is a certain monotony inherent in this album, the songs fly by and are real fun. I absolutely enjoy the way Passéisme are weaving their trademark melodies into the battering attacks like e.g. in the second half of “Chant for Insolence”. Most songs are ferocious and straight forward, but the listener can take a breath during the short acoustic track “Chant for Splendour” before Passéisme start their magnum opus, the over 10 minutes long “Chant for Enlightenment”. This is a monument of a black metal tune, with the whirlwind guitars and the driving rhythm building up to something utterly epic and special.

The whole album is bleak, monochromatic and brilliantly put together. This isn't exactly raw and vicious black metal, it is instead something much more controlled with a clear vision and a distinct path forward. Gruesomely dark with a morbid spark to the violence that is captivating amidst the more ear-pleasing ambience, there is so much brooding contempt within this release when you scratch below the surface. This is one of those records that absolutely reward consecutive and concentrated listens. Aside from all the barrage of vicious blasting drums and tremolo guitar madness, there is also some gorgeously melancholic sounds that work as counterpart to hefty instrumentation. “Eminence” is an album blending raw and unfiltered black metal with on-point songwriting and Passéisme have all the violence and piercing hatred as a driving force behind their unholy art. Another Antiq release coming with unrestricted recommendation.