La Theme du Revolution
There are few things more important in the province of Quebec than the pride they have in their heritage and culture. This has led to many of the greatest Canadian artists emerging from the province. In particular, Quebec has become known over recent years for their constantly growing metal scene. Of course being a black metal fan, it is that area that I am most familiar with. For that reason, I decided to dedicate a section of this month to introducing some of my favourite Quebec based black metal acts.
The first act I will focus on is easily one of the most important bands to emerge from their scene. Rising during the mid 2000s with their incredibly atmospheric brand of depressive black metal, Gris became very quickly synonymous with making black metal that was just as beautiful sonically as it was raw. Their Burzum inspired hypnotic guitar riffs mesh brilliantly with the gorgeous crescendos and dark folk influence that becomes very prominent from the first moment you hear them.
While the band only managed to put together two albums under the Gris moniker, (one other album was released under the name Niflheim) both of them are must hears for fans of atmo black metal. The crown jewel of their discography is said to be their 2007 release Il etait un foret... which translates into there was a forest. While many bands have since traveled similar routes in search for ways of combining folk influence with black metal, this album does it nearly perfectly. Their second album under the Gris name, released 7 years after Il etait un foret, is equally as brilliant. À l'âme enflammée, l'âme constellée... sees the band pursue a similar approach while looking to encompass more non-traditional black metal elements into their song writing. A much darker, folkier, and varied effort, it is a more mature effort than their previous release and sees them cleaning up some of the production while giving way to longer acoustic passages and atmospheric moments. It shares one important similarity with the debut however as it is once again a near perfect release.
I highly suggest taking the time to familiarize yourself with the band.
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