Brume d’Automne 2012

Reviewed by Dylan Raine

Artist: Brume d’Automne
Album: Brume d’Automne
Label: Sepulchral Productions
Release Date: 12 June 2012

1. Tels des Béliers
2. Traditionnelle IV
3. L’Esprit du Courant
4. Rouge Souvenir d’Antant
5. Le Lieu de la Vengeance
6. Moé J’me Souviens
7. Saint Eustache – Traditionnelle V
8. Quand Les Corbeaux Crient Leur Haine

Founded in 2003 by Athros (Forteresse/Ur Falc’h) and Nordet (Ur Falc’h), Brume d’Automne have been considered as one of the forerunners of the “Métal Noir Québécois” movement. Blending raw Black Metal with Québec’s traditional/folkloric music Brume d’Automne opened up Québec’s Black Metal scene and helped shaped it as it stands today. After a 5 year break from the music Brume d’Automne came back on the scene in 2010 with a split 7″ with Forteresse and now are proud to be releasing their self-title 2012 album through Sepulchral Productions.

Mixing up post Punk with Metal chops and beats seems to be at the forefront of metal these days with Thrash metal taking centre stage, and yet with Folkloric/black metal being mentioned in their genre you almost expect to hear some resemblance to what you know about the field and the music, however, this is not always the case. If anything, from this album in its entirety ‘Brume d’Automne’ have taken the rawest segments from Thrash/Punk/Black metal/Folk metal and combined it into one mass of mess.

Song by song there really seems to be no definition between what is going on, and although you can sometimes hear individual items or phrases you have the overwhelming sound of being held underwater with all the muddiness in the mix. ‘Traditionnelle IV’ starts off with the heavy galloped riffs proudly used by metallers alike, before the vocal scream and the muddiness starts up. I found it almost too easy to skip through the tracks just to get as far away from the nonsensical noise that seemed to be at the forefront of this music, and although there are some interesting passages hidden deep within the tracks like the breakdown in ‘Saint Eustache – Traditionnelle V’ you really have to get there, which can be difficult.

Musically, and only musically, it is an intense listening experience not for the feint hearted. As a complete unit, it lacks any special characteristics that really define the music or expressions only to be replaced with overwhelming blasts of noise.

I found this entire album boring, but then you may like it you never know!

3/10