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Neige Et Noirceur - Gouffre Onirique Et Abîmes Cosmiques review




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Reviewer:
6.0

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6.88
Band: Neige Et Noirceur
Album: Gouffre Onirique Et Abîmes Cosmiques
Release date: March 2014


01. Gouffre Onirique Et Abîmes Cosmiques
02. Future Torture
03. Écho Des Abysses
04. Le Portail De Kadath
05. La Marche Des Astres Noirs
06. Les Cavernes De Glace I
07. Les Cavernes De Glace II
08. Les Cavernes De Glace III

Spiritus returns with a new Neige et Noirceur LP for the first time since 2011, having released a few splits and EPs in the meantime. But is it worth your time?

It depends on what you're looking for. Gouffre onirique et abîmes cosmiques walks the same path as pretty much every other NeN release - lo-fi production, plenty of melody, and a focus on creating a dark atmosphere. If that sounds familiar, it's because that's largely how a significant portion of black metal releases can be described these days. And unfortunately for Spiritus, it's hard to imagine this album as one worthy of anticipation on behalf of the metal community, or even those who closely follow the Québécois black metal scene.

Aside from the lack of innovation, there just isn't enough going on musically to warrant the 56-minute length. The guitar work is fairly average, with riffs being recycled and melodies leading nowhere. There seems to be somewhat of a struggle in terms of how Spiritus wants to begin and end each track, but the meat in the middle doesn't tie it together very well anyway. The combination of "Le Portail de Kadath" and "La Marche des Astres Noirs" breaks up the monotony a bit, but then the album ends with a trilogy of mediocre ambient passages. What is most disappointing in all of this is that Spiritus has shown signs of taking it to the next level before, but that potential is far from realized on this album.

Atmosphere can be a tricky thing. Possibly the most subjective element of music, it can make or break your new album. In this case I'm willing to bet the majority of listeners would label this album as broken. Far be it from me to tell you to go out of your way to avoid an album, but if you're looking for fresh, upbeat, interesting, innovative, or even just tried-and-true cookie cutter black metal, this album will fail to deliver on all accounts. There are extremely brief sections that prove to be a little less stale and reserved, but they're few and far between. Perhaps the next Neige et Noirceur full-length will make up for the sour taste in my mouth.


Rating breakdown
Performance: 7
Songwriting: 6
Originality: 6
Production: 6





Written on 09.04.2014 by I'm total pro; that's what I'm here for.


Comments

Comments: 1   Visited by: 56 users
11.04.2014 - 00:37
Boxcar Willy
yr a kook
Pass with a capital P.
----
14:22 - Marcel Hubregtse
I do your mum

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