Quand s'abaisse la croix du blasphème

So here we got a really interesting band and album. Like one could have easily guessed looking at the title this is a French band making Death Metal with French lyrics. Lyrics in languages other than English are always a bit risky so I approached this record with some caution.

Beside the language another factor that had turned me off a bit at first are the song lengths ranging from 4 to nearly 9 minutes. Generally speaking Death Metal is about outbursts of aggression that should help the listener to clear his mind and more often than not such ambitious efforts tend to fail. After listening to this album with the (for me) unspeakable name “Quand s’abaisse la croix du blaspheme” I am still not sure if those 2 decisions where wise or not. That aside though this is nice little gem that is doing a lot things right and should be of interest for fans of bands like Suffocation or Morbid Angel.

The riffing is amazing and while it sometimes feels a bit monotone given that the tracks are longer than on most similar albums there are some very clever twists implemented. The main chords are often subtly rearranged throughout one song always keep returning to their basic forms. They are accompanied by impressive lead guitar work that is presented in short interludes often serving as bridges between different parts of a song and some extended soloing. The harmonies often have a very hypnotic vibe that is captivating the listener.

The drumming is very intense and often pretty technical. That being said the music has a really nice groove and while there are some complex parts that might feel a bit chaotic I could not stop nodding my head to the music. Savage Annihilation have used a lot of tempo and rhythm changes like most of their peers but they have a good feeling for implementing such details in a fitting manner. The single pieces are put together nicely to build coherent songs and a greatly flowing album.

The singer has a great tone. His delivery is raw and gritty but the lyrics are perfectly understandable. Not that it helped me to understand one single word though. There are a few spoken words sections where the use of the French language has a slightly amusing effect. It seems a bit impossible to me so say something in this language that sounds evil or sinister.

The production is powerful and has this slightly putrid feeling I enjoy so much. The guitars are the star of the show and are therefore mixed a bit into the foreground. That being said the other instruments got enough attention as well with the mix being well-balanced overall. Even the bass is audible which is not always the case in modern records.

So putting aside the unorthodox facts stated at the beginning of this review Savage Annihilation have produced a great and powerful album for each fan of traditional DM. After the new album by Skinned this is another winner presented by Xenokorp helping to further enhance the standing of the French DM scene.