Band:	Aes Dana
Album:	La Chasse Sauvage
Style:	Atmospheric black metal, Celtic black metal
Release date:	November 24, 2001
Guest review by:	Ernis

01. La Chasse Sauvage
02. La Dernière Marche
03. Anwynn
04. Les Complaintes De Nemon
05. L'éveil De Fafnir
06. Cinq Jours Maudits
07. Stigmates
08. Ethereal Visions Part 1
09. Ethereal Visions Part 2
10. Les Chants De Brennos
11. Le Suzerain Des Âmes En Peines

Medieval music is metal. At least it can easily be expressed and used by contemporary metal bands. The French celtic black metal group Aes Dana is one of them. "La Chasse Sauvage" is their first full-length album and a rather properly done work in general. Though the second album "Formors" does have some improvements, "La Chasse Sauvage" is still a grand debut.

The musicians rely on good old medieval music and the ethnic heritage of Celtic nations. The name Aes Dana is derived from the Old Irish words áes dána which translates into English as "people of the arts." That's what they were, medieval musicians and bards. The modern Irish language version aosdána is currently used as a title given to people who have achieved distinction in the arts. The medieval instruments used such as bombardes are nowadays particularly widespread in Bretagne, the Breton-speaking region of France. Though the main stress is placed on the Celtic side, there are also references to viking and Germanic culture and mythology. The song "L'eveil de Fafnir," translated as "The Rise Of Fafnir," being a direct example of this.

Medieval legends form the heart of this album in general. The title of the album means "The Wild Hunt" which refers to the old legend of supernatural creatures rampaging in the skies. The flight of the Germanic gods and valkyres is also close to the descriptions of the legend. The atmosphere of the music is rural, pagan, aggressive and something that can be described as hysterically happy, frightened, and serious, all at the same time. Direct and laconic and passionate; just as the lifestyle of the Middle-Ages was. The lyrics are very expressive in every song on this album. Basically the band has created tales and poems of the fantasies and fears of people who lived centuries ago. The album has managed to unite the old music with an extreme metal frame. The symbiosis is not bad at all.

Songs to be pointed out on this album would be "Anwynn" bearing the name of the ethereal world of fairies and souls of the dead from the Welsh mythology, "Cinq jours maudits" as a fine sinister and dark song, and "Les chants de Brennos." One negative aspect would be that the songs may start to seem slighlty too similar to each other in the beginning but this mistake may be repaired if you listen for the nuances more thoroughly.

The vocals are well sung and every member manages the role without problems. The themes chosen for the lyrics and for the composition are good and the French language with its certain sounds proves to be very suitable for expressing extreme metal. Those who are interested in medieval culture and Celtic heritage will surely enjoy this album. Olde Hansa metal (Olde Hansa being a fine medieval tavern in the old town of Tallinn) would make a grand genre name and Aes Dana would surely be a representative of it.