SACRENOIR: Comme Des Revenants Parmi Les Ruines

Release year: 2023
Label: Sepulchral Productions

Hot on the heels of yesterday’s review of Trépas’ new album Les Ombres Malades (here), we continue our foray into Canadian territory. Sacrenoir might be a somewhat newer name, but the members of the two-man project are right at the core of the Quebec scene: Monarque is the leader of the project of the same name and has handled live duties for Forteresse – in which other member of Atros handles vocals. And, as fans of black metal will know, these two projects are among the quintessential Quebecois black metal names.

So, with the two members involved in such core projects, how does Sacrenoir justify its existence as a separate entity?

The answer is ultimately rather simple: by taking a step away from the “trademark” Quebec sound. Where acts such as aforementioned Forteresse – or Trépas for that matter – put heavy focus on sinister but melancholic guitar melodies, Sacrenoir forsakes much of that for a darker, rawer sound.

In all its simplicity: retain the essentially old school Scandinavian black metal foundation, take away some of the trademark melodicism from the Quebec sound, add a dollop of the lo-fi rawness of the Portugese scene.

The result is an album that is musically more abrasive than, for example, Forteresse. The riffs put more emphasis on rawness and coldness instead of forlorn atmospherics, and the sound is more abrasive. Sticking to the Forteresse comparisons, Sacrenoir has a somewhat more lo-fi aesthetic to the sound – although, in comparison to truly lo-fi black metal, Comme Des Revenants Parmi Les Ruines sounds quite balanced and well-produced.

I guess Sacrenoir can be lumped into the broad category of side projects, considering the significant stature of the “main projects” of both members. In that context, Sacrenoir does justify its existence by exploring a more straightforward, raw and “bare bones” expression – essentially, one paying more directly homage to the members’ musical influences.

In terms of quality, on the other hand, I do not feel that Sacrenoir manages to equal the aforementioned main projects of either member. So, in that sense, too, Sacrenoir can be characterized as something of a typical side project.

Despite taking on a sound differing from the typical Quebec style, instead looking more unashamedly to 90’s Scandinavia for direct inspiration, obviously it will be fans of the Quebec scene who will be most interested in this album. And sure enough, it will most likely feel worthwhile to them; for whilst not offering anything groundbreaking on any level, Comme Revenants Parmi Les Ruines is a solid piece of modern old school black metal.

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