Most people who know me know that my taste in music is narrow; to
quote an old friend who in fit of frustration once uttered “you don’t
even like metal, you only like a tiny sliver of metal…” As this
sliver is generally located at the far reaches of black metal, I’m
expecting a certain amount of disdain for not only including this
album in my top ten, but for placing it as highly as I do. The first
thing that needs to be said is that this is by no means a black metal
album, there are black metal parts to it, but this must undoubtedly be
placed in some other genre, the cliché and overused epitaph
“avant-garde” is probably as good as any. So why is it on my list?
Well in a year that offered few truly great albums this is if not
great without a doubt the most interesting and challenging. The albums
swings wildly from black metal, to circus metal, to french folk, to
post rock. I don’t think it’s an overstatement to say many people will
hate this album, but I can’t quit it. The few annoying parts are made
up for by the insane parts that keep this album interesting, time will
tell how well it holds up, but there’s barely been a day I’ve not
listened to at least part of this album since it was released in May,
which should prove a certain staying power.
Peste Noire
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