01. De Célestes Cavalcades
02. Assiégé Pour L'éternité
03. Le Sang Respire Encore
04. En Quête Du Graal
05. Chant D'honneur
06. Par Sombres Forêts Et Vastes Plaines

Assiégé Pour L'éternité is more than just a simple remake of Assiégé: it sets Véhémence on the path to medieval meloblack glory!

Véhémence is a French melodic black metal band founded in 2013 by multi-instrumentalist Tulzcha, later joined by drummer Thomas Leitner and vocalist Hyvermor (replacing original vocalist B.R.; in addition to this lineup, Konstantin Korolev played bass on this album). They're widely acclaimed for their distinctive style that combines traditional folk instrumentation with ferocious melodic black metal whilst delving into lyrical themes associated with French historical fantasy and medieval sagas. The band have really made a name for themselves in the French black metal scene, improving their sound and expanding on their compositions through each release whilst integrating a variety of classical instruments such as the nyckelharpa, hurdy-gurdy, flute, and acoustic guitar. The previous album, Ordalies, was one of the highlights in black metal for me back in 2022, and so too for many others. Now they return after 4 years with an anticipated re-release of their acclaimed debut Assiégé, this time titled Assiégé Pour L'éternité.

Assiégé Pour L'éternité is not just a typically enhanced re-recording but an entire overhaul that shows just how far the band has come since the raw and unpolished standards of the debut. The theme behind Assiégé Pour L'éternité (translated to "Besieged for Eternity") covers dramatic chivalric tales and medieval warfare centred on the concept "Overthrow the Earth to Conquer the Sky". For instance, the song "Chant d'honneur" (Song of Honour) focuses on eternal chivalric struggles and the conquering of higher celestial planes, while "En quête du Graal" (In Quest of the Grail) delves into the spiritual quest for the Holy Grail. However, compared to the original version of the album, the epic medieval fantasy storytelling is all the more convincing; it portrays the clattering of swords and armour over the blood-soaked lands of medieval France and the knights who rode for honour into battle in glorious cinematic detail.

The band have substantially matured in sound with the production here being clearly more polished and refined, even more so than on Ordalies, and with a greater level of depth there's a darker and more mystical feel than that of Assiégé. There's also more urgency in their performance and the compositions seem tighter, more dynamic, and even more to a professional standard. The songwriting contrasts between melodic black, with ferocious twin-guitar tremolos and furious blast-beats, and medieval folk arrangements. The deliciously melodic folk-tinged tremolos are captured with an even punchier sound and so hook you in more; this is driven by a tighter, more competent rhythm section. The vocals are more diverse and expressive, with Hyvermor delivering his agonizing shrieks, tortuous screams, and sinisterly charismatic narrations with added emotion. They've also introduced more symphonic orchestrations with an array of traditional folk instruments, as well as several details and elements emerging that simply weren't present on Assiégé. The overall result is so far from the original that it seems geared more towards epic meloblack than their original blackened folk route, despite the folk elements still being present.

If I were to be reviewing this album blindly without knowledge of the debut, then I'd be saying without question that this is their best album to date, surpassing the quality of both the acclaimed Ordalies and Par Le Sang Versé, and also one of the best folk/black albums to be released in recent years. But let's not ignore the fact that this is a reworking of Assiégé and there are still some listeners who'll be more in favour of their traditional black metal ways, those more likely to miss the raw authentic charm that the debut brought at its release. Sometimes the magic lies within its stripped-back authenticity; the added symphonic orchestrations, clean, crisp production, and overall epic vibe might feel over the top. I for one find this not to be the case here; I find the true magic lies in its cinematic approach, which is something you wouldn't hear or experience without such a high level of musicianship and quality modern production. Their professionalism and maturity are things they've clearly improved greatly on and an album such as Assiégé deserves the right level of recognition, so why not give it the chance to truly shine this time on Assiégé Pour L'éternité?

Performance:	8
Songwriting:	8
Originality:	6
Production:	9