Band:	Epheles
Album:	Je Suis Autrefois
Style:	Black metal, Atmospheric black metal
Release date:	May 05, 2011
A review by:	Troy Killjoy

01. La Vie Est Ici...
02. Les Murmures Du Silence
03. Ne Meurs Jamais...
04. J'ai Froid Dedans...
05. Je Suis Autrefois...
06. Les Pleurs Obscurs...

Epheles are a French black metal band that formed back in the late '90s, yet have fewer than a handful of full-length releases (one of which is a mere re-titled edition) to their name. They've managed to capitalize on all the "free time" throughout the years however, working their way up from obscure, primitive demo material to emancipating, raw black metal.

Inspired by elements of chaos, anarchy, nihilistic occult disconsolation, death and destruction and mayhem and all-around fucking annihilation, Je suis autrefois is the answer to your most twisted dreams. It drives over frozen fields, through pitch black skies, and into the hearts of darkness that wait despairingly for a sign of things to end. As depicted in the Battles In The North-inspired cover art, this album is designed for grim and frostbitten kingdoms, for your final moments - the dying seconds of your futile existence, out alone in the cold at night, with no shelter in sight... (One can't help but think of Valfar's final journey.)

Epheles borrow heavily from the likes of Burzum in terms of traditional black metal vibes and ambiance, they're comparable to countrymates Mortifera in terms of the utterly depressive perception, and they passed the kvlt test in flying colors: various reds from sacrificed virgin daughters, beheaded goats, slit wrists, and the orange of livarot cheese. (Get it? French? And cheese? Never mind.) Thankfully they don't suffer from the horrific production of a bedroom black metal band, they write with purpose and focus, and the lengths of each song - including the two instrumentals - are perfect.

Je suis autrefois blasts faster than Cytheria in a solo scene, but carefully avoids being trapped within the vicinity of monotony. The Det som engang var atmosphere not only feeds the nostalgic hunger for a time when black metallers weren't busy gazing at their shoes, but helps the songs feel more persistent in their collective effort to make you feel chilled to the bone. Not to mention the eerie effect created by the vocals being mixed so low. The extravagant guitar melodies seduce the mind, leading you slowly onto a frozen lake, to the weakest point where the surface has already begun to crack, distracting you from the horrible sound of that crack spreading uncontrollably, the tranquil waters below engulfing your body in a pit of liquid blackness: a cold and lonely death.

One can't help but think of their own final journey...