Elend
Les Ténèbres du Dehors

THE REVIEW

I don't believe I'm a great reviewer, quite the opposite. I don't even know where the claim to review albums so emotionally loaded comes from, risking to diminish their poetry and qualities. Yet, I can't resist doing it. For this reason, after careful consideration, I have decided to share this pearl with a group of people –as many as possible- lovers of dark metal who may already know it, although it cannot be defined as metal. They themselves have coined the term Avantgarde Ambient (to put something in the ID3 tag of our MP3s...) but it's a forced, restrictive definition.

This album is born from the depths of the soul, to reach others. Don't expect to deal with a school-band-style symphonic-baroque-gaudy-obvious band. Elend reaches the pinnacle of poetry. We are dealing with true neoclassical music, well-arranged and extremely atmospheric. The sounds, the instruments blend to offer themes and soundscapes that are extremely dark, but not black metal (despite the growl, which I think sounds off; they must have realized it themselves. In the next album, it doesn’t appear) yet so gloomy and desolate. The female voices are full of emotions, and the lyrics imbued with a dark allure that is hard to describe. The male voices, however... sigh!
The lyrics mix biblical concepts with spectral premonitions, enriched by arcane revelations, just enough gothic. A large part of them is in Latin (partly drawing from chants like the Dies Irae) expertly mixed with English. Antienne, however, is in French. Honestly, I would have given more weight to French, as I saw it fitting the themes raised and the type of music.
I mentioned earlier that we are dealing with religious lyrics as well. Yet don't expect any blasphemies like Cradle of Filth or similar awfulness (for those who don't know, I hate Cradle!). So approach this album without worries.

I will never be able to describe what the album makes you feel. I can only recommend purchasing it. Not even samples would help, because these compositions (not songs) must be listened to in their entirety.
The title track, which closes the album, is simply a masterpiece (not that the rest is any less). Emotionally piercing to the extreme is the piano that opens this final composition, which ends as it began: with delicate notes of pure poetry.

I repeat, I'm sorry to have harbored the claim to review an album of this kind, but I couldn't resist. I apologize if I've got something wrong.
If you want, insult me as much as you like. I deserve it. But listen to the album!