Artist: Mortifera
Album: Vastiaa Tenebrd Mortifera
Year of Release: 2004
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]After a big listening binge that involved nothing but Peste Noire and the Mortifera album that is the subject of this review, I remember saying to a friend of mine (or a couple, if they were unfortunate enough) something to the extent of “Damn these French, they can make even black metal pretty and effeminate”. Indeed, the French scene is rooted deeply in melody and fleeting, autumnal chord progressions that wrap your lunatic, satanic and anti-human music in a pretty gift wrap of minor intervals. But hell, they do it damn well, so boys and girls, drop your Xasthur cds and head over to the land of baguettes and champagne, and indulge.
The concept of Mortifera belongs to individuals known as Noktu and Neige, both of whom also participated in a number of other highly successful projects – perhaps that’s why the French black metal scene possesses such a specific flavour, at least at first sight. Forming in 2001 – seems like such a long time, doesn’t it? – they managed a small discography, before the band was put on hold. However the output that saw the light of day is well worth anyone’s hearing. Flowing clean guitar intersperses itself between majestic swells of distortion, painting an utterly desolate and lonesome image. Content with a moderate pace, sometimes entering a more contemplative mood and only occasionally increasing tempo, the songs melt into one another, creating a constant river of sound.
The vocals are the only thing that is decidedly harsh; the tone and pitch bring bands like Silencer and Nazgul (Ita) to mind, as much as they do padded rooms and straightjackets. The screams on the recording are some of the most ferocious, if not uncommon to depressive black metal sound, and though my LOTE French is decidedly a dead language, the feeling of utmost despair and hate is in that voice alone, and enough to translate the required atmosphere. Most of the progressions mirror this; only at one point towards the end does the mood switch from minor to major, with a more triumphant and uplifting feel, which is probably also the fastest-paced part of the album, and even then it’s relatively short-lived.
Speaking of atmosphere, this is definitely one of the high points of the album. Dripping with imagery, the music doesn’t lean on the crutch of samples, effects and keyboards to create them, which is refreshing to see. Somehow the songs seem like they wouldn’t be out of place in medieval times, and images of parks and stone buildings overgrown with vines and moss don’t seem too out of place either. An occasional acoustic interlude, and in one case an entire composition offer a soothing tone that spills over the rest of the music, and despite black metal often relying on chaotic and violent elements, this album comes off as dreamy and introspective.
While Neige and Noktu, as mentioned previously, contributed to the writing process of many known and successful French black metal icons (Peste Noire, Celestia, Alcest and Forgotten Woods among others), Mortifera still manages to offer something different and inherently its own – even if comparisons with above acts are on the tip of one’s tongue at times. Melancholic but not without a ray of light within it, and artistic without being overly pretentious, it’s a memorable record that will for a long time remain an outstanding example of its genre.
9/10
sample:
Mortifera - Ciel Brouillé:
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Alexei Gudimenko, 2009