
‘Il était une forêt...,’ the second album from Gris (formerly Niflheim) is a late 2007 gem that deserves some serious attention. Released on December 20th, this is an album that is ripe with melancholy, ferocity and eeriness beyond words.
Gris’ music is within the framework of black and doom metal or as it’s more commonly called; depressive black metal. The music moves at a mostly slow doom pace with raw buzzing guitars, sluggish percussion, spine-chilling atmospheric keyboards, acoustic guitars, and what I’d have to say is one of the finest vocal performances I’ve ever heard from a black metal singer. Icare screams, howls and roars like none other. However to give an example, they are almost like a mixture between Silenius (Summoning, ex-Abigor) and Varg Vikernes (Burzum). They are longwinded agonized shrieks, but with a strong sense of sorrow ripped into his voice, so much that he actually cries during, ‘Veux-tu danser,’ which is definitely the albums finest song too.
Although all of the bands lyrics are wrote in French, it is said that they center on a balance between joy and depression, and this can be clearly seen within their logo. While the first five songs are within the depressive black metal style, the final song, ‘La dryade’ is actually a neo classical piece with piano, violin, flute, and acoustic guitars that’s just overflowing with melancholy. Truly a remarkable piece and I do hope these elements play a stronger role in their black metal songs in the future.
At just a few seconds short of an hour, Il était une forêt is a masterpiece and surely a band to keep all eyes on.
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