Very recently I did review the newest album by Quebec-based act Neige & Noirceur, Gouffre Onirique Et Abîmes Cosmiques, posted on June 1st on Concreteweb. But this one-man project has a pretty impressive, and highly interesting discography as from 2005 on. This review deals with a re-release of Neige & Noirceur’s second demo, 2007’s L’Abîme Des Jours, L’Écume Des Nuits, originally released via defunct Ohio-based Dungeons Deep Records. Apparently there were some re-issues in the past before this one too, with the one from Hypnotic Dirge Records being the most interesting one, for having a bonus-disc.
L’Abîme Des Jours, L’Écume Des Nuits consists of two epics only, yet with a total running time of thirty eight minutes. And what Neige & Noirceur bring with this demonstrational material is truly impressive. The demo opens with the title track, twenty five minutes of length, which challenges your patience. The song starts with a long introduction, combining eerie noises, natural sounds and ambient drones, slowly evolving in neo-cosmic ambience, and it’s only after more than six minutes that the Black Metal element shows up. But as soon as this starts, Sonic War breaks loose. The Black Metal side of the story is pretty noisy, intense and chaotic, with horrific, distant vocals, slightly Gothic-alike bombastic synths, distorted guitar leads, and droning rhythms. It’s very grim and raw, caused as well by an unpolished production. This one might be little too weak, with a mix that does not place every detail in a worthy equilibrium. After a while, the epic song turns into an acoustic piece, but not of the Neo-Folk kind, but also with a cold-dimensional, somewhat desolate attitude. But as soon as the acoustics disappear, the Black Terror shows up once again. This time the vocals are different; more like a bestial growling, yet still enormously fitting. The major lines correspond to those from the first part of the songs, but not completely. And the final minutes are, just like the very beginning of the song, of the minimal Ambient-oriented kind. However, despite the variation, and the division into several parts, this lengthy pièce d’Art Noir truly sounds as one cohesive composition.
Loin Des Hommes, Près Des Bêtes (‘far away from men, close to beasts’) clocks near thirteen minutes and has nothing to do with (Black) Metal - except for the asphyxiating, grim atmosphere. It’s little minimalistic, yet not boring or simplistic. There’s a subtle touch of cosmic spiritualism, with floating synth lines during the first part, followed by industrialized nihilism, and even church bells and Death Industrial-elements.
[note: why a review on an ‘old’ release? Actually, Kunsthauch, Dunkelkunst and 99 Screams Series, all acting under the same banner, did send us, and therefore I am truly thankful, quite some releases, both new and old; since all of them, or at least the majority, are worth being known / listened, I have no reason to not promote this excellent stuff!]