France really likes to experiment with their metal, whether it be The Black Legion bands mixing black metal with dark ambient, Deathspell Omega creating terrifying shit, Blut Aus Nord creating what can best be called “blackened djent”, or Peste Noire doing... something completely ridiculous. Sentinelles is the latest example of this long tradition of experimentation.
The black metal these guys play certainly doesn't fall into orthodoxy. They eschew ravenous, unholy blast beats in favor of a more mid-paced affair. The drums are a bit low in the mix so they don't stand out that much, but they're extremely well-played, as they implement a great deal of intricate fills and vigorous cymbal work. The vocals consist of Burzum-type high-pitched screams. For some strange reason, parts of his performance remind me of !T.O.O.H.! The guitars are not the cold, serrated razors we have come to expect in black metal. They sound much more triumphant, dynamic, and melodic. They even throw in a few solos.
Aside from the black metal, there are also times when they incorporate things like clean guitars, spoken vocals, piano, and Gregorian chants into their music. (These elements can best be heard on “Immensite et Tristesses”.) I especially loved their utilization of the piano. On most other albums where it's used, it seems more like a distraction than anything else, but here, they blend in perfectly with the rest of the music. Also, this is probably just my mind playing tricks on me, but I swear there was this one moment where the piano played part of the melody to “U.N. Owen Was Her”.
The songs maybe a bit long, but the music is splendid. It's airy, dreamy, and above all, unique.
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