Review by Jeger on November 8, 2024.

France’s Gorgon - pioneers of the renowned French black metal scene. Over the years, this particular movement has become defined by elegance and grandiosity as notional to the rise of bands such as SETH and Gravenoire whose visions for black metal do not necessarily fall in line with how the genre began all those years ago when the spirit of Devil worship and the incursion of blasphemy were what mattered. Founded in 1991, during the birthing years of the second wave, Gorgon established themselves long before this modern era of genre refinement, and their music is reflective of those first pure days when the threat of anti-Christian wrath loomed o’er sheepish chapels and hallowed places of worship. On November 29, 2024,  Gorgon will release the third album in a trilogy that began with their Osmose Productions debut, The Veil Of Darkness and continued with 2021’s Traditio Satanae, now culminating with For Those Who Stay. 

The Osmose era for Gorgon has proven to be a high watermark for the band. Proper representation has thus far brought out the very best in them as far as recording dynamics and visual aesthetics are concerned. With For Those Who Stay, Gorgon has unveiled a stunningly melodic yet brutal specimen of ‘90’s harkening BM that captures the spirit of the second wave, but without the one-dimensional dryness that once defined early black metal in its true form. Instead, we have a well-saturated and textured tapestry of sound; nicely composed and illuminated to vibrancy by enhanced recording techniques; just the right balance between grit and clarity. Influences ranging from chugging thrash in 'Vatican’s Fall' to engaging melodic BM passages in 'The Art Of Dying' and 'Despicable Beggars' draw to mind “Pentagram” era Gorgoroth, “Storm Of The Light’s Bane” era Dissection and “Far Away From The Sun” era Sacramentum, but teeming with the kind of unbridled aggression that we’ve come to expect from Gorgon. 

For Those Who Stay is a feast; nuanced by unpredictable changes in tempo along with tantalizing atmospheric elements. Serpentine during some parts and reciprocal during others. The result? An inertia-inducing yet accessible ride where intense passages ravage the cortex before other more ensnaring parts lull you into a state of melodious bliss; a blessed alternation between blast-ridden ferocity and fulfilling melodic richness. Toss in a little Vampiric organ at the beginning and at the end of the recording and what you end up with is a full-bellied sensation - gullet packed with all the essentials - total and complete satisfaction. 

What a criminally underrated band, what a gem of an album, and what a fine example of genuine black metal. Gorgon are a TRUE black metal band whose genre IQ is paralleled by few. Projects like Gorgon, Funeral Winds, and Satanic Warmaster are what keep authentic BM thriving just below surface level in that coveted place betwixt the deep underground and the mainstream, and it’s labels like Osmose Productions who sentinel the quality of this art without compromise. Gorgon - French black metal beholden not to the grandeur of today’s oft-gaudy scene but rooted in the black mark traditions of olde. And may their scourge continue to burn its way onward toward true BM infamy’s blackened horizon. 

Rating: 8.5 out of 10