Gris – À l'Âme Enflammée, l'Äme Constellée... (2013)

As one of the most surprising releases of 2013, today we have Canada’s two-man project Gris and their sophomore release “À l'Âme Enflammée, l'Äme Constellée...”. This double CD album is filled with lush Neoclassical elements perfectly incorporated into moody Black Metal. Charged with emotive sections and a very dark atmosphere, this release will sneak up on you and catch you completely off-guard.

The opening track “L’Aube”, greatly reminded us of Elend and their very dramatic instrumentation and chilling screams of desperation. “Les Forges” provides the first taste of the band’s excellent combination of classical string instruments with harsh Black Metal elements. In this 15-minute track the band goes back and forth between aggressive sections and lush instrumentation that makes the song very magical and totally unexpected.

As the album progresses, “Igneus” is preceded by another instrumental song that shifts the flow of the release into more dramatic and harsh territories. In this song the band delivers 11-minutes of Black Metal that incorporates some of the slow and painful progressions of Post-Metal bands like Neurosis, making it very unique. The instrumental passages create a very somber atmosphere. The first CD closes with the very dramatic “Dil”, a song characterized by its slow pace and lush atmosphere created by the powerful guitar work.

Setting the mood once more with the obscure “Moksha”, the second disc gets underway with a very emotional edge to it. “Seizième prière” keeps up the mystery with a beautiful acoustic opening and a very chaotic development. The percussions are quite interesting and the vocals add an extra layer of rawness to the song. Our favorite track in this release is the tour de force “Une épitaphe de suie”, a very emotional track with excellent guitar work, both acoustic and electric, and a pulsating bass guitar lien. The constant tempo changes and usage of classical elements makes this song one of the best we have heard in 2013.

As “Nadir” closes this release in a very dramatic and traditional Gris fashion, we can’t wait to listen to the whole release once more. As a whole, “À l'Âme Enflammée, l'Äme Constellée...” is one hell of a release that focuses on creating diverse atmospheres with traditional BM elements extended by excellent classical instruments and structures. Gris is one of those bands that push the limits of music and with this release they will surely blow many people away. If you are looking for an intelligent and well-crafted release that does not settle in one genre, look no further and pick-up a copy of this album.

Label: Sepulchral Productions

Release: July 9th, 2013

Genre: Black Metal / Neoclassical

Country: Canada