Review by Felix on March 26, 2025.

Sacrenoir is a two man band from Canada. Already its name and the album title leave no doubt that this is another formation hailing from the rebellious metropolis called Quebec. Both guys know each other well due to roughly a hundred different projects. The members section informs you where they already met each other. Now they return "like ghosts among ruins", to translate the album title. Is this debut another portion of métal noir québécois? Not really. The dudes have given themselves a raw, nasty production that does not pick up the elegance of Forteresse, the best known band of those where they were (or still are) involved. There is no eloquence, no diplomacy, no compromise, just cold, terrorizing sounds. This technical approach goes hand in hand with the musical one, because sometimes the band catapults us back in time. Especially the "Born For Burning" Bathory-riffing in "Le Puits Du Diable" appears as a trip into the darkest past of a slowly rising genre.

Sacrenoir celebrate a promising start with "Mille Nuits Ont Passé". Without intro, warning or anything else, it leads the listener immediately and rapidly into an uncomfortable surrounding where the dense fog obscures the view. This opening complements the moody artwork very well. Unfortunately already the second track teaches us that we cannot take the high quality of the opener for granted. "Comme Des Revenants Parmi Les Ruines" is not free from (little) weak points; the noisy, somehow aimless "Épuration" underlines this. But the strong numbers form the majority. "Étouffés Par Les Flammes" brings the album back on track with another misty storm of aggression. Relentless guitar work meets diabolically raw vocals and no sun ray shines here. A great song, but don't expect the typical MNQ approach. Already the comparatively short song lengths speak another language and indeed there is no place for endlessly flowing guitar lines. Instead, the duo pours a bucket of hate over the listener and completely forgets to translate the song title into French. Regardless, "The Blade Of Satan" with its dark mercilessness is one of the most furious attacks on the album, even if the snare is occasionally almost drowned out by the thunderstorm of sound.

Although it is a pity that the sacral part at the end of "Aux Portes De L'enfer" does not come into full bloom, this song and "Vers D'autres Mondes" deliver a proper ending of the album. Okay, I may not forget the quasi-title track on the final position, but this ambient piece does not represent the real DNA of Sacrenoir and it is actually not worth mentioning. On the other hand, a little boredom after this pretty brutal and nearly mentally disturbing can do no harm and the same belongs to the entire album. It is no milestone of the genre, but it holds some pieces one should lend an ear. Nevertheless, a new Forteresse album, now almost ten years after "Thèmes pour la rébellion" would probably a more exciting release. Anyway, it is cool that Quebes denies to fall silent.

Rating: 7.4 out of 10

Review by Felix on March 26, 2025.

Sacrenoir is a two man band from Canada. Already its name and the album title leave no doubt that this is another formation hailing from the rebellious metropolis called Quebec. Both guys know each other well due to roughly a hundred different projects. The members section informs you where they already met each other. Now they return "like ghosts among ruins", to translate the album title. Is this debut another portion of métal noir québécois? Not really. The dudes have given themselves a raw, nasty production that does not pick up the elegance of Forteresse, the best known band of those where they were (or still are) involved. There is no eloquence, no diplomacy, no compromise, just cold, terrorizing sounds. This technical approach goes hand in hand with the musical one, because sometimes the band catapults us back in time. Especially the "Born For Burning" Bathory-riffing in "Le Puits Du Diable" appears as a trip into the darkest past of a slowly rising genre.

Sacrenoir celebrate a promising start with "Mille Nuits Ont Passé". Without intro, warning or anything else, it leads the listener immediately and rapidly into an uncomfortable surrounding where the dense fog obscures the view. This opening complements the moody artwork very well. Unfortunately already the second track teaches us that we cannot take the high quality of the opener for granted. "Comme Des Revenants Parmi Les Ruines" is not free from (little) weak points; the noisy, somehow aimless "Épuration" underlines this. But the strong numbers form the majority. "Étouffés Par Les Flammes" brings the album back on track with another misty storm of aggression. Relentless guitar work meets diabolically raw vocals and no sun ray shines here. A great song, but don't expect the typical MNQ approach. Already the comparatively short song lengths speak another language and indeed there is no place for endlessly flowing guitar lines. Instead, the duo pours a bucket of hate over the listener and completely forgets to translate the song title into French. Regardless, "The Blade Of Satan" with its dark mercilessness is one of the most furious attacks on the album, even if the snare is occasionally almost drowned out by the thunderstorm of sound.

Although it is a pity that the sacral part at the end of "Aux Portes De L'enfer" does not come into full bloom, this song and "Vers D'autres Mondes" deliver a proper ending of the album. Okay, I may not forget the quasi-title track on the final position, but this ambient piece does not represent the real DNA of Sacrenoir and it is actually not worth mentioning. On the other hand, a little boredom after this pretty brutal and nearly mentally disturbing can do no harm and the same belongs to the entire album. It is no milestone of the genre, but it holds some pieces one should lend an ear. Nevertheless, a new Forteresse album, now almost ten years after "Thèmes pour la rébellion" would probably a more exciting release. Anyway, it is cool that Quebes denies to fall silent.

Rating: 7.4 out of 10

Review by Jeger on March 21, 2025.

In the age olde spirit of "holy shit that sounds good", I now introduce you to USA's Wrath Of Logarius. They're one of those clever bands like Dissection that have imagined an entire genre of black metal based solely on the kind of BM that they themselves bring to the table. We all know about Anti-Cosmic Metal of Death, but in case you didn't get the memo, there's this new shit called Formless black metal - the butter, an ear ringer for sure with this stuff. How does a little brutal death metal-inspired black metal sound? Oh yeah, it's a thing. On April 4, Wrath Of Logarius will release Crown Of Mortis via Season of Mist.

A blackened version of Dying Fetus should about sum it up, but beyond that there's still much to uncover: eldritch melodies, haunting atmospherics and the fucking drummer… George Kollias eat your heart out. Such a commanding presence behind the kit, which is what you need when album cuts like "Keeper Of The Spectral Legion" and "Of The Void" are involved. Bringing heavy artillery to a knife fight is Wrath Of Logarius. It's such a concentrated dose of larger-than-life black metal that it cannot be confined to form. For every seconds worth of savagery, you'll also take in striking melodic passages and slow-burning parts that feel as if you've been placed on the rack; relentlessly dragging the depths; turning up the filth of human existence with every dooming riff.

Forget about Belphegor and Behemoth. Blackened death metal is devoid of integrity, unlike what we have here, which is a brilliant synergy of brutal death and black metal; resulting in music of a most dignified consort. Vilhelm of Grima makes a contribution to "The Ethereal Mist" - like Grima on steroids - swirling into this vortex of unbridled compositional madness. This is a really REALLY talented bunch here. Imagine Anaal Nathrakh, only more accessible and a whole lot more mature sounding.

The so-called art of blackened death metal is a maligned one. On the other hand, we have groundbreaking outfits like our boys here who are doing really innovative stuff by simply combining death and black metal in a way where each style of music stands independently, as opposed to some mutt-like mixture. And did I mention the drummer, Lord Marco? From which parallel universe did they pull this guy? There's suspense and savagery, soul and enchantment here; all backed by what sounds like a percussion robot…

What a fresh perspective on black metal. As I write this, numerous bands from all over the world are attempting to do what Wrath Of Logarius did here, only to fail epically as they effectively butcher black metal, all the while as they embarrass themselves in the process. And is that a little Into Eternity action I'm hearing right now? Keeping things interesting is Wrath Of Logarius throughout the entirety of the record. FFO black metal that's so epically fucking black metal that it's like beyond black metal but still black metal all the same… Just not so sure about those masks yet.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Review by Jeger on March 21, 2025.

In the age olde spirit of "holy shit that sounds good", I now introduce you to USA's Wrath Of Logarius. They're one of those clever bands like Dissection that have imagined an entire genre of black metal based solely on the kind of BM that they themselves bring to the table. We all know about Anti-Cosmic Metal of Death, but in case you didn't get the memo, there's this new shit called Formless black metal - the butter, an ear ringer for sure with this stuff. How does a little brutal death metal-inspired black metal sound? Oh yeah, it's a thing. On April 4, Wrath Of Logarius will release Crown Of Mortis via Season of Mist.

A blackened version of Dying Fetus should about sum it up, but beyond that there's still much to uncover: eldritch melodies, haunting atmospherics and the fucking drummer… George Kollias eat your heart out. Such a commanding presence behind the kit, which is what you need when album cuts like "Keeper Of The Spectral Legion" and "Of The Void" are involved. Bringing heavy artillery to a knife fight is Wrath Of Logarius. It's such a concentrated dose of larger-than-life black metal that it cannot be confined to form. For every seconds worth of savagery, you'll also take in striking melodic passages and slow-burning parts that feel as if you've been placed on the rack; relentlessly dragging the depths; turning up the filth of human existence with every dooming riff.

Forget about Belphegor and Behemoth. Blackened death metal is devoid of integrity, unlike what we have here, which is a brilliant synergy of brutal death and black metal; resulting in music of a most dignified consort. Vilhelm of Grima makes a contribution to "The Ethereal Mist" - like Grima on steroids - swirling into this vortex of unbridled compositional madness. This is a really REALLY talented bunch here. Imagine Anaal Nathrakh, only more accessible and a whole lot more mature sounding.

The so-called art of blackened death metal is a maligned one. On the other hand, we have groundbreaking outfits like our boys here who are doing really innovative stuff by simply combining death and black metal in a way where each style of music stands independently, as opposed to some mutt-like mixture. And did I mention the drummer, Lord Marco? From which parallel universe did they pull this guy? There's suspense and savagery, soul and enchantment here; all backed by what sounds like a percussion robot…

What a fresh perspective on black metal. As I write this, numerous bands from all over the world are attempting to do what Wrath Of Logarius did here, only to fail epically as they effectively butcher black metal, all the while as they embarrass themselves in the process. And is that a little Into Eternity action I'm hearing right now? Keeping things interesting is Wrath Of Logarius throughout the entirety of the record. FFO black metal that's so epically fucking black metal that it's like beyond black metal but still black metal all the same… Just not so sure about those masks yet.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Review by Jeger on March 21, 2025.

In the age olde spirit of "holy shit that sounds good", I now introduce you to USA's Wrath Of Logarius. They're one of those clever bands like Dissection that have imagined an entire genre of black metal based solely on the kind of BM that they themselves bring to the table. We all know about Anti-Cosmic Metal of Death, but in case you didn't get the memo, there's this new shit called Formless black metal - the butter, an ear ringer for sure with this stuff. How does a little brutal death metal-inspired black metal sound? Oh yeah, it's a thing. On April 4, Wrath Of Logarius will release Crown Of Mortis via Season of Mist.

A blackened version of Dying Fetus should about sum it up, but beyond that there's still much to uncover: eldritch melodies, haunting atmospherics and the fucking drummer… George Kollias eat your heart out. Such a commanding presence behind the kit, which is what you need when album cuts like "Keeper Of The Spectral Legion" and "Of The Void" are involved. Bringing heavy artillery to a knife fight is Wrath Of Logarius. It's such a concentrated dose of larger-than-life black metal that it cannot be confined to form. For every seconds worth of savagery, you'll also take in striking melodic passages and slow-burning parts that feel as if you've been placed on the rack; relentlessly dragging the depths; turning up the filth of human existence with every dooming riff.

Forget about Belphegor and Behemoth. Blackened death metal is devoid of integrity, unlike what we have here, which is a brilliant synergy of brutal death and black metal; resulting in music of a most dignified consort. Vilhelm of Grima makes a contribution to "The Ethereal Mist" - like Grima on steroids - swirling into this vortex of unbridled compositional madness. This is a really REALLY talented bunch here. Imagine Anaal Nathrakh, only more accessible and a whole lot more mature sounding.

The so-called art of blackened death metal is a maligned one. On the other hand, we have groundbreaking outfits like our boys here who are doing really innovative stuff by simply combining death and black metal in a way where each style of music stands independently, as opposed to some mutt-like mixture. And did I mention the drummer, Lord Marco? From which parallel universe did they pull this guy? There's suspense and savagery, soul and enchantment here; all backed by what sounds like a percussion robot…

What a fresh perspective on black metal. As I write this, numerous bands from all over the world are attempting to do what Wrath Of Logarius did here, only to fail epically as they effectively butcher black metal, all the while as they embarrass themselves in the process. And is that a little Into Eternity action I'm hearing right now? Keeping things interesting is Wrath Of Logarius throughout the entirety of the record. FFO black metal that's so epically fucking black metal that it's like beyond black metal but still black metal all the same… Just not so sure about those masks yet.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Review by Jeger on March 21, 2025.

In the age olde spirit of "holy shit that sounds good", I now introduce you to USA's Wrath Of Logarius. They're one of those clever bands like Dissection that have imagined an entire genre of black metal based solely on the kind of BM that they themselves bring to the table. We all know about Anti-Cosmic Metal of Death, but in case you didn't get the memo, there's this new shit called Formless black metal - the butter, an ear ringer for sure with this stuff. How does a little brutal death metal-inspired black metal sound? Oh yeah, it's a thing. On April 4, Wrath Of Logarius will release Crown Of Mortis via Season of Mist.

A blackened version of Dying Fetus should about sum it up, but beyond that there's still much to uncover: eldritch melodies, haunting atmospherics and the fucking drummer… George Kollias eat your heart out. Such a commanding presence behind the kit, which is what you need when album cuts like "Keeper Of The Spectral Legion" and "Of The Void" are involved. Bringing heavy artillery to a knife fight is Wrath Of Logarius. It's such a concentrated dose of larger-than-life black metal that it cannot be confined to form. For every seconds worth of savagery, you'll also take in striking melodic passages and slow-burning parts that feel as if you've been placed on the rack; relentlessly dragging the depths; turning up the filth of human existence with every dooming riff.

Forget about Belphegor and Behemoth. Blackened death metal is devoid of integrity, unlike what we have here, which is a brilliant synergy of brutal death and black metal; resulting in music of a most dignified consort. Vilhelm of Grima makes a contribution to "The Ethereal Mist" - like Grima on steroids - swirling into this vortex of unbridled compositional madness. This is a really REALLY talented bunch here. Imagine Anaal Nathrakh, only more accessible and a whole lot more mature sounding.

The so-called art of blackened death metal is a maligned one. On the other hand, we have groundbreaking outfits like our boys here who are doing really innovative stuff by simply combining death and black metal in a way where each style of music stands independently, as opposed to some mutt-like mixture. And did I mention the drummer, Lord Marco? From which parallel universe did they pull this guy? There's suspense and savagery, soul and enchantment here; all backed by what sounds like a percussion robot…

What a fresh perspective on black metal. As I write this, numerous bands from all over the world are attempting to do what Wrath Of Logarius did here, only to fail epically as they effectively butcher black metal, all the while as they embarrass themselves in the process. And is that a little Into Eternity action I'm hearing right now? Keeping things interesting is Wrath Of Logarius throughout the entirety of the record. FFO black metal that's so epically fucking black metal that it's like beyond black metal but still black metal all the same… Just not so sure about those masks yet.

Rating: 9 out of 10