To get me interested in a black metal album at all, it has to offer something more than just grating tremolo riffs topped by questionable production. And when it does, it has to be done very well. I know, I am a demanding black metal listener. Luckily Seth know how to deliver for me.
To simply call them black metal would be incorrect. Seth are a melodic black metal band with tasteful symphonic elements. And this tastefulness separates them from many other bands that swim in the same waters. Not once during my many listens to La France des Maudits did I find the symphonic elements too cheesy. Nor do they serve as filler when the band has no other ideas. Seth follow a certain path and they don’t deviate from it. Each song on La France des Maudits feels like its own story set in the bloody times of the French Revolution. As the album progresses, the atmosphere changes from dark and brutal black metal to a more melancholic and ominous atmosphere until we reach a sense of revolt and victory at the end.
It is not often in black metal that the vocalist is one of the highlights. Saint Vincent adds an almost operatic feel to his performance, changing his style according to the message he wants to convey. This performance, combined with the amazing instrumental skills of the rest of the band, results in a kind of music that is almost overwhelming in its atmosphere. Seth do not rely on the overused sound of other atmoblack bands. Instead, they build the atmosphere with heartfelt passages that gradate at the end of each track. Somehow they have managed to turn the all-encompassing coldness of black metal into a warm and full sound. Yes, it is still dark and diabolical, but it is no longer depressing. It’s encouraging and it calls me to battle.
La France des Maudits is Seth‘s best album to date. Bombastic elements mixed with sheer black metal ferocity make for an amazing listen for those looking for a bit of a bloody and diabolical take on history. It is masterfully layered, both musically and thematically, and offers a relatively niche take on a popular genre.