MEURTRIÈRES, young to the French Metal scene, is a quintet from Lyon. They are Fiona (vocals), Flo Spector (guitar), Olivier (guitar), Xaviar (bass) and Thomas (drums). Their latest effort, ‘Ronde De Nuit’ (The Night Watch) has some of what they created on their previous 2020 self-titled EP but redeveloped to add new depth and complexity. The writing style is old school, epic heavy metal and the lyrical emphasis is on Rembrandt, Medieval Tragedy and Ill-fated Fantasy.
Rubicon, straight to the point with a bang. Though it’s a little messy with the overall mix and recording (listening through headphones), their approach to blending the elements of epic metal and old-school heavy metal is definitively there. There’s a lot going on in this song, perhaps a little too much under the vocals, Fiona is a little drowned out by the heavy layered instruments. Nonetheless, their way of combining the dark overtones with a slightly anthemic introduction is quite clever, removing the cheesiness, which is where most fail.
Aucun Homme, Aucun Dogme, Aucune Croix, Chanting! Shouting! Doom and gloom, a headbangers neck-twisting fantasy. I forgot to highlight the meticulous use of the native tongue through the chorus sections, which is apparent throughout all their songs. The parts in English, although catchy in rhythm, are a little hard to understand with the Frenglish accent.
Naufrage (Shipwreck) drives us into the abyss of heaviness with some striking melodic melodies.
Ronde De Nuit Fast and Furious wins the race as a steady heartbeat keeps the pace, The Night Watch, the quick-paced momentum continues with precision finger work and some beautiful soaring lyrical lines showcasing a broad vocal range.
Alma Mater Delivers more of the Darker Anthemic quality we heard earlier, alternative almost grungy in style yet contagious to ears once you get into it. The music hasn’t strayed, it has stuck with this quality throughout so far.
Chevaleresses Du Chaos Night Ladies of Chaos, has all the hooks but for me, lacked to follow suit with some of guitar harmonies which were a little off-putting. With a little more development on those melodic areas, this song could really be a standout.
La Revenante Just like it began with a bang, it ends the same way. A pounding drumroll straight into the march of chaos and endless shredding and eventually melting down to an epic wave of melodic bliss.
Niggles aside, I liked it a lot.
MEURTRIÈRES: Bandcamp
Release Year: 2023
Label: Gates Of Hell Records
Category: Album
Country: France
Reviewed by GG Baf
