NEFASTT - La Malignité Des
Astres (ATAVISM Records - MC 2012)
Recently I was contacted by French label called
Atavism Records, if I can give a listen and possibly also review some of their
releases. I honestly never heard of Atavism before, and none of their bands
were familiar to me, but I liked the idea that they promote their local scene
of Burgundy. When I got two cassettes the first one, which I started to listen
to was this one – a debut album “La Malignité Des Astres” from band called
Nefastt. I’m already after few spins of their MC and am ready to transfer some
of my thoughts about the album on the computer… and I must admit that I am very
impressed by the music, which this French band performed. I honestly didn’t
have any expectations, but “La Malignité Des Astres” turned out to be a very
good, involving and essential black metal release.
Nefastt hails from Burgundy, but one listen to
their music and I can point out that the musical roots of their style lay far
in the cold North, in Norway. It won’t be a exaggeration if I write that
Nefastt sounds like a classic Norwegian black metal band and it also won’t be
an accusation, as the songs they composed and arranged for “La Malignité Des
Astres” sound not only very good, but also way better than many of the recent Norwegian
bands, so I definitely have nothing to complain here.
Nefastt performs something, what I enjoy most,
speaking of the black metal styles – which is a mixture of the traditional,
harsh, raw black metal, but played in more atmospheric way, with some epic or
monumental passages here and there, with a decent dose of melody, but also with
a lot of killer blackened aggression and ruthlessness… And if I summon such
monikers as Kampfar, Isvind, Kvist, Urgehal, Taake and even some early
Satyricon, then you may have some idea for the actual music of Nefastt. And I
like it a lot. The album is pretty long (but that’s because it features also
the demo), but there is enough variation and good quality to make it
interesting all the way through and never annoy with trivial part or something
dull and primitive. The riffing of Nefastt is just incredibly good, I like it a
lot with such tracks as “Tauriacus” or “Finis Lucis” (I hope I picked up
correct titles for the songs, which I have in my mind) – lots of the sort of
medieval harmonies, great instrumental passages in the vein of Taake, cold
atmosphere… And on top of everything I must admit that the production of “La
Malignité Des Astres” is just very good also, with some great vocals performed
by two band members (Havoc Vulturus and Guillotine). Ha, I bet that if you call
yourself Taake maniac for instance, then Nefastt music will draw your attention
as much as it did hook me up. This is kind of black metal I like most!
Side A of the cassette included all new songs,
which compile the “La Malignité Des Astres” album and side B contains the 2008
“Nefastt” demo, so it is another great reason to listen to the whole stuff, as
this way we can have a complete look at the Nefastt music and see how their
style has developed between these two recordings. This demo definitely sounds
more primitive and rawer, the production is more crude and the vocals more
shrieking, so I can admit that I don’t like it as much as I do the full length
album, but that doesn’t mean it is worthless piece of garbage. It’s still a
very decent material, with some splendid moments and which provides an expected
sinister, eerie and obscure atmosphere… and if the album is better than a demo,
then it only means that the band goes the right way and evolves properly.
So, what else can I ask for? Maybe some more
killer albums like “La Malignité Des Astres”, as this definitely is one of the
highlights of 2012, speaking of black metal for sure. Recommended! But be aware
that there are just 150 copies of the cassette, but there will also be a CD
version released soon.
Standout tracks: “Tauriacus”, “Finis Lucis”
Final rate: 90/100
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