Band: Sorcières
Album: Sombres Danses
Release Date: 20th January 2019
Record Label: Unsigned
This review has been a long time coming. I originally received the tracks for Sombres Danses back in January, and finally I have been able to give it a listen and get my thoughts down on paper (and the internet). It is a 5 track EP from the French band Sorcières, so it’s a nice short one to listen to all the way through if you’re on a commute or waiting around.
Sorcières starts us off with acoustic guitar which almost has a blues feel to it, and when the full band comes in, the same melody continues. The vocals are harsh, and as the track continues the blues feel turns into a more sinister carnival feel. I can hear some flute very low in the mix, and the track ends acoustically. Grim has a distinct Under Bergens Rot (Finntroll) feel to the melody, although the instrumental in this track is a little faster and more chaotic. There are sections of slightly calmer, more dancey melodies, as well as a calmer interlude with drums and violin. At one point the melody is slow and heavy, before we get a mini breakdown of the instrumental.
Ophidia again has a carnival type feel intro, which is almost Arabic at times. There is a bit more of a black metal feel to this track, and some calmer interludes with guitar and strings before the instrumental builds back up. Sombres Danses has a violin and bass intro, which works really well. The vibe of the track to me is twisted classical, with a waltz feel to it. There is also a violin interlude, and the melody is eventually taken over by the guitar.
Finally, Dèfloraison ends the EP on a more calm and sombre acoustic note. It is larger violin led, with the violin being plucked rather than bowed. It’s a calming ending to what, at times, has been a more chaotic and heavy sounding EP.
For someone who isn’t that much into black metal, I did quite enjoy this. However, at times for me I found that the instrumental didn’t sound quite as tight as you would expect from a recording. Having said that, Sorcières are able to create an atmosphere with their music already, and the ability to keep one repeating melody throughout a track is not something that you see very often nowadays, and I really enjoy it. Too many bands try to change it up for the sake of it, rather than sticking to one theme and playing around it. I look forward to hearing what more Sorcières are able to bring to life in the future.
Verdict: 7.5/10
Buy Sorcières music and merch: https://sorcieresmusic.bandcamp.com/
Like Sorcières on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sorcieres.band/
Ostara Metal 