Band:	Seth
Album:	Les Blessures De L'Ame
Style:	Black metal
Release date:	1998
Guest review by:	HugeTheConqeror

01. La Quintessence Du Mal
02. Hymne Au Vampire (Acte I)
03. Hymne Au Vampire (Acte II)... Vers Une Nouvelle Ère
04. Le Cercle De La Renaissance
05. Les Silences d'Outre-Tombe
06. Dans Les Yeux Du Serpent
07. ...À La Mémoire De Nos Frères
08. Les Sévices De La Peste [2012 re-release bonus]
09. Corpus Et Anima [2012 re-release bonus]

Black Metal is admittedly a difficult genre for me to get into. Long-held notions of what is "tr00" and "kvlt" have served as straitjackets for many who choose this medium, and the expectations of stricter fans have prevented many performers form breaking any new ground. Those bands who do try to expand the boundaries of the genre are scorned as posers.

Fortunately, there are other bands willing to experiment, and it's within this tradition that French band Seth created their "Vampiric" Black Metal debut "Les Blessures De l'Ame." This is an album to which a close listen will reveal specific attention paid by the musicians to detail. Seth have obviously taken great pains to create complex, multi-layered arrangements, giving the work a unique texture, and conjuring a true sense of time and place. The clean guitar strumming on tracks such as "La Quintessence Du Mal" and "Les Silences D'Outre-Tombe" add a cold atmosphere to the music, while the extensive use of piano throughout the album adds a rich, post-Renaissance sensibility. Atmosphere here is key, but never at the expense of brutality. The requisite blast beats and distorted guitar are present throughout, and the vocals are a decipherable half-shriek, half-rasp that well fits the album's vampire theme.

Unfortunately, as with so many Black Metal albums, the biggest complaint here is with the production. I have never been a big fan of the low-fi production quality that permeates the genre. I understand that this is part of the Black Metal aesthetic, but in this instance I feel that it does disservice to the composition. The mix was done well, and the band deserve credit for ensuring that the details of the arrangements can be detected by the listener. However, the noticeable hum and low frequency response detract from the overall effect. I agree that overly polished production would rob this release of its aggression, but the released version sounds as if it were recorded in a public restroom. Surely there must have been some middle ground.

Overall this is a solid release, one that was well thought-out. It's appeal outside Black Metal circles will be limited, but open-minded fans of the genre will find something refreshing here.