Coldmoon — Ténèbres Des Marais
Coldmoon is one of the more recent(ish)ventures from respected French wall-maker Julien Skrobek( Ghost, Ecco, Ruine, etc). And seemingly this is the project only release thus far. Theme/sound wise it’s akin to Skrobek projects like Sumbru & Marchenoir in it’s grim & black metal-tinged vibe, but it takes things to an even bleaker/ starker extreme.
Opening up proceedings we have "Coalition Du Chaos"- this bitter, yet bass bound mixture of slurred ‘n’ bluntly buffeting low-end, and thinner grain bound jittering. The ‘wall’ is both crushing in its pummelling & unforgiving bass weigh grind, and eerier in it’s constantly feasting & scratching detail. It feels like trying to get through some extremely boggy & oppressive woods, as skeletal branches are constantly scraping & pulling at your skin. It’s a great start to the release, nicely creating a mix of bone grinding heaviness & bleak atmospherics.
Next up there is "La Forêt De Cristal"- here we get a tangled & constricting textural weave of bleak & constantly descending tumbles. Slightly beaded hacking tones, which meet thinner & jagged jitterings, and a selection of smaller crisp ‘n’ snapping textures. This creates a feeling that one is been wrapped & slowly encased by a collection of different sized vines & creepers, as the if forest has suddenly come to life, propelling its tangled organic weaves at you & surrounding you in taut greener.
Over onto the second side, and first up we have "Vents Contraires". This finds a selection of rushing, billowing, and battering textures- these are layered together to summon up this detailed & raging tunnel like ‘wall’ that perfectly captures the feeling of an iced skin scorching & bone-chilling winter storm.
The release is topped off with the track "L'Appel Du Vide". And this is certainly the moodiest track here- with its base of mid-paced & barren billow ‘n’ roast. This is surrounded by a selection of often distant & subtle scrapes, rattles & knocks. One's mind primly focuses in on the billow & roast, but you constantly keep getting hints of the sub-tones, through you never clearly hear/define them. And this creates a feeling akin to been creeped-out & unsettled by the noises coming from outside a tent in the middle of a storm in the middle of the night. All giving quite a Blair Witch vibe to proceedings.
Ténèbres Des Marais stands as some of the best & most consistent releases I’ve heard from Skrobek in some time. With each of the varied walls capturing perfectly extreme wall grim-ness- with their skillful blend of creativity, layer balance, and atmosphere. So I very much looking forward to hearing more from Coldmoon. As of writing this review the label still has copies available - so head over there before they are all gone.