My Visions in the Forest

-Some Brazilian fellow dreamed of hell through the head of a Frenchman-

Songe d'Enfer presents something that sounds more distinctly European inspired than what has been built up in Brazil at that point with their mid-'90's demo recording. 'My Visions in the Forest' also sounds pretty professional: as in tight, together, and with I-can-hear-everything-evenly in recording standards for a demo even without a shred of fuzziness or one thing being too loud or soft in the mix to grate and frustrate. This travels between medium sections and some built-up-to-faster parts where dabs of melody are infused into either pacing. The group includes in their black arsenal the kind of tremolo riffs that are like the fast forwarded versions of violinists, causing spectators to grumble from getting confused from a normally sweet harmony turned into a now withering, light-absent and radiant-less crescendo. A big standout feature for the netherworld-pondering group is there are a fair amount of reminding barbs that latch onto you as you pass by them and seem to be an implemented driving point throughout the recordings. Placing memorability where it should be and then calling you back to it to hear it again. If inanimate objects could suddenly speak I'm sure that's what it would entice you to do: lend your ear and hang out for a little bit out of a building dark friendship that isn't bluntly aggressive but hands out more leanings on a kind of savage grace.

The keyboards are just as much a main line-up feature for the band, though more at being a conversational 'chimer-iner.' The progression of the times was in full effect with the pocket of 'Wegians having some keys fight side-by-side with the other instruments, Greece had a conglomerate with them, other bands in various countries would spread them throughout their tunes as well. Even death metal groups, for instance, such as Septic Flesh, Thou Shalt Suffer, and Pan.Thy.Monium would frame and hang them on the walls. This is more or less to get your brain centered in the direction of where these budding Brazilians in my speculation most likely came from with their potentially built-up from background that probably wasn't just from a single source. Also from what I've heard in their own country, recordings seemed to sprout more prevalently with keys after the year. The only ones that come to mind are Mystifier, In Memorian and Lord Blasphemate before '95. They weave in and out, and at some parts it is constantly going, often mimicking the guitars to a shadowing note. How I think the band persevered with them is that they are mixed with measurement and manipulation with particular simplistic sounds into the music and aren't completely dominating the production, where some bands can do this and potentially ruin a certain song from it being a distracting feature. Like even early Dimmu Borgir in some instances would do for me, and also Emperor to me had some parts for the trudging symphonic sake of it. I feel at least Songe d'Enfer was capable of holding my ears with more shreds of captivation than being held victim by having to listen to and essentially endure them. Another important feature is the volume seems to be tampered and adjusted with to glove-fit the particular section as well. They can range from using some simulated vocal choirs to other somewhat mystical features that I don't feel are pompous or are over-stretching it either; their schemes seem planned out and they abide with a form of shameless entertainment rather than crimes of being stuck-up with grand egotism.

The vocals here are a combination of a raspy strain and scream, and yet he still maintains timing and begins on a certain measure and might extend it till the next. They aren't loaded with effects like you might conceive, and they seem to only have a pinch of reverb applied. On the concluding portion of the last track there is a section where the keyboards are doing a sort of ambient number with higher pitched simulated strings and other abstractions with the drums joining in to produce a coming and going march-like pattern on his snare, and the Burzum influence comes out in full piercing screams and tortured agony on his vocals as well. Though it seems befitting for them and transmits as a natural occurrence. The image is of a lone wanderer who is all but starved, beaten and lost, and uses his last remaining resources (his voice) to project his true inner anguish out of a last desperation and hope for reprieve. The drumming I have to say is capable of adding its own little additions and is a far cry from being just in the background with his various fills and even with the inclusion of some double bass portions to make black metal of the style more deadly.

To get a better perspective, I don't think this demo is chock-full of brilliant creativity, the kind of band that stuns you with section after section with something that hasn't done before. And the band is different from the many others I like and listen to where it isn't full of accidental charm either. Songe d'Enfer essentially delivers a recording that was well put together and is strengthened by its endeavors: the flow isn't to be challenged, the production has a slight taint for atmosphere but is simultaneously clear and workable, and the musicians group together and are mostly capable of bringing about their own individual turns and personalities. That much is different about them, time was taken to optimize and amend, and their personality is in craft and proficiency rather than containing little odd quirks or one particular stand out feature over the rest.

For a seemingly lost recording from the hidden and sometimes neglected lands of Brazil comes Rio de Janeiro's Songe d'Enfer with a demo that is more than decent and I think far exceeds what an early recording should initially be. This demo is refined enough to be mistaken for an EP release, where you'd imagine the band would have already went through some demos and practiced honing themselves and finding all of their capable abilities enough to then fulfill a label's and expanding audience's needs. However, I'm somewhat impressed that the band diligently worked at this release, and yet simultaneously perplexed at them apparently not doing much afterwards where you'd think a full length would have been inevitable and most likely well-received. From what I've read there was, but it is apparently put away by lock and key. Their influences are there for '95, but the band still produces enough of their own material and then maintains some recallable sections that can definitely be returned to, and I feel that this demo is a high recommendation in the end because of those exploited deeds. (For the next trailing crumbs see Ancient Sign Glorify)