Negative-Existence - VI "De Praestigiis Daemonum" CD

VI "De Praestigiis Daemonum" CD
[GOAT007]

~~$11.00~~ $6.60

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Artist: VI

Title: De Praestigiis Daemonum

Format: CD

Country: France

Genre: Black Metal

Record Label: Goathorned Productions

Debut EP from this promising French black metal horde!

Tracklisting:

I) Et maintenant je lui appartiens ainsi ma chair mon sang et mes actes lui sont dédié. 05:47
II) Je me dresse devant le trône et j'attends mon jugement en crachant sur le livre de vie. 05:12
III) Si le sommeil de ma raison se fait trop lourd, je deviendrais le monstre qu'il aura tenté d'engendrer. 04:51
IV) Il n'y a pas de repos ni le jour ni la nuit pour ceux qui ont adoré la bête et son image et pour quiconque a reçu la marque de son nom. 09:03
Total playing time 24:52

Sounds:

Review:

Written by Heraklyon [Metal Archives]

Here we have, one of the latest releases by the respectable black metal French label Debemur Morti, known for its high quality releases from bands like Nåstrond, Ars Diavoli, Celestial Bloodshed, October Falls, Horna, et cetera. "De Praestigiis Daemonum" is the first EP from the band VI, a collective comprised of two individuals who play ferocious black metal. One of the guys is pretty well known in the French black metal underground, due to its work on bands such as Balrog and Aosoth. If you haven’t guessed by now, its Sebastian Tuvi and on this record he plays bass and programs the drum kit, while I.nR plays the guitars and provides his vocals, on a relentless black metal assault ready to chop your head off.

I don’t know much of French black metal besides Peste Noire, Mütiilation, Celestia, Deathspell Omega, Alcest, Mortifera, Angmar, Balrog, Merrimack and Aosoth, all of which are pretty good black metal bands with their own identity and are easily recognizable. Sebastien Tuvi plays on Balrog and Aosoth but the truth is the sound on VI is rather different from these bands, especially from Balrog. While Balrog has a cleaner and more chaotic sounding, with vibrant technical virtuousness, Aosoth delivers a less polished black metal slab, sometimes with certain thrash hints. VI blasts with a rawer sounding and a more direct approach to furious satanic black metal, reflected mostly on the simple yet sharp guitar riffs and the less audible bass playing, which isn’t a great thing, but I’ll get to that later.

"De Praestigiis Daemonum" starts with full force, driven by fast guitar riffing and accompanied with a precise drum kit programmed by Sebastian, only steping on the brake at the minute 2’, when some eerie chants break into the chaos. Right from the beginning you notice how I.nR rasps fit the overall sounding, which is absolutely great and how "Et Maintenant Je Lui Appartiens..." proves to be a great album opener.

Next track is "Je Me Dresse Devant Le Trône...", starts in the same spot where "Et Maintenant…" ended with another visceral guitar attack that requires a full-blown headbang to be fully appreciated. This track has a lot of good riffs and nice drum fills that are sure to keep the listener satisfied. Unfortunately by now you start asking where the hell the bass is… Evidentially, this type of production is the adequate for this kind of sounding, but it doesn’t make the bass stand out, in fact it buries him deep beneath the curtain of blast beats and infernal riffs. The fact of the bass getting lost in the mix is very unfortunate since a well evidenced bass work could give an extra punch to the tracks and eventually turn them into better songs. Still, this song may be the less atmospheric of the four tracks, but what it lacks on atmosphere, it compensates on fury, that’s a given.

The third track starts in a mid-tempo rhythm with a pretty good riff that grabs the listener with a hook and never lets him go, dragging him down into the abyss of the eternal flames. On "Si Le Sommeil De Ma Raison Se Fait..." the drumming sound incredibly tight and varied, even knowing that it comes from a machine. The blast beats are all well placed and when mixed with the somewhat hidden chants they give a sinister feeling, showcasing VI’s ability to create oppressive landscapes with simple details.

"Il N'y a Pas De Repos Ni Le Jour Ni La Nuit..." is the last track of this EP and presents more intricate guitar riffs that at some point remind me of Inquisition with a little less distortion, but equally charming. I.nR’s guitar dexterity is an acquired taste by now and the more he plays, the more stunned you get and the greater this EP looks. The cherry in the top of the cake is obviously the magnificent ending sample of an orthodox Russian church chant, which carves an occult atmosphere and delivers a great ending.

In the end, I’m really surprised with the actual quality of this release, although they almost jeopardized the whole thing with the lack of bass punch which is really a shame, given the undisputable potential of these songs. The other drawback should be its lifespan: it’s too short, I want more songs! Now that I have this, I feel like a kid with a new toy who didn’t took too long before realizing he needed another piece to completely usufruct it. I hope VI don’t take too long before releasing their full-length, because this EP is really good due to VI’s ability to write simple, yet addictive and convincing tracks. With the right tweaks, their first full-length promises to be one of the best surprises from 2009.

Biography:

"In their first gospel, French devil worshippers VI launch a ceremonious attack on the sheep-like practices of God-fearing man. Armed with dark fervour, diabolic discipline and devilish devotion, the deviant duo unleash their profane scriptures amid a rapturous cataclysm of scorn and disgust. Abiding by an alternate set of tenets, VI dutifully exercise their (anti-)faith, whilst exorcising the belief system of the virtuous. Espousing hedonism, individualism and overt Satanism, these prayers are composed (in the native tongue) with reverence and respect, venerating all things vile and vicious. Consecration of the depraved; sanctification of the obscene; emancipation of the human spirit. Bless them, father, for they have sinned..."

This product was added to our catalog on Tuesday 25 August, 2009.

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