Fantome De Sang — Dans La Nuit Vampirique

"Dans La Nuit Vampirique” is the 2nd release from Cory Strand’s Les Legions Noire influenced black noise project. For those not in the know - Les Legions Noire where a collective of French underground black metal/ dark ambient projects that existenced between 1993 & 1997, which have  gone on to have somewhat of a cult following

This CDR release finds Strand switching from the lengthy,  blackly overloaded & often wall like constructions of "Maladif Lune"( the projects four CDR debut release) for six shorter slices of dense ‘n’ blacked noise craft.

Not only are the six tracks on offer here shorter attacks(lasting between  just over the eight minute mark to just over the twenty minute mark), but also the textures & elements  seem slightly easier to define than on the projects debut release too. Though that said all the tracks here are still hellishly overloaded & bone chillingly stark in their production & vibe- so there is certainly more noise than black metal here still.

Each of the six tracks are effectively devastating slices of blacked noise that hint at both blacked metal instrumental  textures, and starkly grim ‘n’ unrelenting field recordings  of things such as battering snow ragged storms & rain lashed graveyards.

All six tracks keep you attention through-out, but one or two tracks here do stand slightly above the blacked  & ramshackle pulpit, and these come in the form of: track number three “Repos Du Cercueil”, which starts out with slowed & bone chilling blacked gitar chimes, before launching in to a mix of cold rain spluttering  static, grimly churning 'n' jittering noise grain, and barely heard wondering/doomed billowing bass tones.  The albums longest track “Infini A Mes Yeux” which opens with a violent yet grimly smudged discordant blacked guitar tone hit, before focusing into a descending & doomed maelstrom of chugging ‘n’ barbwire swirling blacked noise that’s  under brewed by either a sustained ‘n’ gloomy organ hover, or possibly a locked ‘n’ repetitive tolling black metal guitar riff.  Or the final track “Translucidite Pale Parmi Douleurs Pleureurs” which starts out with a muffled ‘n’ bleak chiming cold guitar tone, before rapidly jumping into a thick mixture of buzzing blacked feed back, rapid clanking ‘n’ grating texturing, and pelting freezing skin like sonic stings- this track somehow mangers to sound both chilling dramatic & darkly majestic, yet at the same time brain roastingly overloading.

As a genre blacked noise, or noise/blacked metal cross overs can sometimes be a little mixed in quality & re-playability, but so far each of Fantome De Sang releases have been both compelling & replayble.  So if your after some well conceived, effectively layered, deeply atmospheric &  easily re-replayble  blacked noise you can’t go wrong with “"Dans La Nuit Vampirique”.