Dans les bras des immortels

Of all the distinctive black metal scenes to emerge in the 1990s, the Quebecoise probably had the most ill-defined style. Although broadly speaking it was melodic, epic, flirting with symphonic, and inspired by the cold climates from whence it came, the key artists to emerge from this part of the world were grouped more by general traits than a deeper sonic philosophy. Without wanting to delve too deeply into the reasons for this, one immediately obvious feature of the Canadian scene is the fact that it is a few years younger than those in Europe. By the time Frozen Shadows started putting out material, black metal was already travelling in a wealth of different and well established directions. In the late 1990s, Canadian artists found new and unique ways to add to these traditions, prior to forging a path of their own. And that’s precisely what this artist did.

Forging a path from Immortal’s ‘blizzard metal’ stylings, the now defunct Frozen Shadows are worth remembrance despite their limited output. Their first full length ‘Dans Les Bras Des Immortels’ (1999) is an aggressive reimagining of early era Immortal with some Emperor symphonics layered in for good measure. Everything about the mix is crafted to be as cold as humanly possible. The snare drum that sounds more like a cowbell augments drums that are highly focused on achieving a wash of static through the dominance of the cymbals. The guitars are reminiscent of ‘Pure Holocaust’ in tone and intent. The vocals are high-pitched and aggressive. Although clearly audible they are placed in the mix to sound distant, granting the music a sense of outdoor space. Keyboards are a near constant presence throughout the album, through either strings or choral effects they provide layers of ice-cold atmosphere over the whole affair, which again opens up new atmospheric spaces as the album progresses.

Within the thematic unity knitted together by this highly stylised and bespoke mix, the music itself is surprisingly diverse. Frozen Shadows carve out epic narratives of drama, aggression, sorrow, triumph, and pain. A great deal of this album feels like a lament which is constantly interrupted by untrammelled aggression and chaos. Melodies, either delicate or epic, make up the core theme of each track, but they are framed by hyper-fast Immortal style black metal, as the two competing forces collide and combine to form music that is both thrilling and meditative in equal measure. The genius of this album lies not so much in the epic scope and near flawless execution (although both warrant examination), but in harnessing a broad range of elements that offer an album of varied emotions, a journey through towering sonic cathedrals, that are all nevertheless drawn together into a work of unity and oneness that only the best of European black metal have managed to match in terms of ambition and execution.

Their ability to piece together simple complementary riffs that comment on each other as passages develop and drive these through various iterations allows Frozen Shadows to remain at a certain level of intensity for extended periods without growing monotonous. It also means they are not overly reliant on simple contrasts of tempo and mood to achieve a sense of intrigue. It is the dominant narratives that these riffs carve out that form the basis of each musical journey, and not the simple juxtaposition of speed with breakdown, aggression with sorrow, melody with dissonance. ‘Dans Les Bras Des Immortels’ – through the manipulation of musical components and themes that transcend the confines of each track – taps into similar qualities found on many of the milestones of black metal throughout history. For that reason it’s not only important to shine a light on the album itself, but also to explore what traits it shares in common with other works of similar significance, but more importantly to look at how it differs from other noteworthy works. Prima facie it is fairly typical of a certain stripe of cold yet melodic black metal. But there is something more intuitive and compelling lurking beneath the surface. Whenever one is presented with these qualities within an album, scratching beneath this veneer to look for the clues below which could explain why it stands out despite working with the same rudiments remains a worthy project.

Originally published at Hate Meditations

This album without question is simply one of my favorites. I have been waiting for new material from this band but somehow it doesn't seem like there will be any at the moment, so I'm just going to focus on reviewing this masterpiece of cold, remorseless art.

Modern day black metal comes in a lot of different ways. Some choose to remain trve to the roots by eschewing keyboard-driven melancholy while others are experimenting with variable techniques deemed necessary to avoid stagnation. Here we have Frozen Shadows unleashing its debut full length Dans les Bras des Immortels. Without wasting any more time, once the war march has ceased to escalate, Myrkhaal's demonic shrieks begin to take over the spotlight together with ever-amazing guitar riffs. The latter is one of the greatest aspects of this album. What makes it even more magnificent is the minimal use of keyboards. If one listens to this album, the person may as well object to my statement by saying 'keyboard is all over the place!' Really? No, you're wrong! These guys absolutely know what they are doing and they are very good at that. Much like Triarchy of the Lost Lovers, the keyboard stands somewhere between becoming the forefront instrument or just simply shying away from catching one's attention. The good thing about this, especially on this album is the keyboard aids in building up the imperative momentum which serves as thoroughly evil atmosphere, like it's there but not really there. For most of the time, the guitars do an extremely excellent job at maintaining the grim aesthetic while Myrkhaal's keyboard (I believed he is the one who performs all keys) just pushes the riffs all the way up to eleven.

Take for example ...of Pain and Insufferable Torment. This particular song is perhaps the shortest on this album but it is fully packed with highly malevolent execution. You have everything that you need here that may have been absent in black metal bands out there: insanely fast blast beats (thanks, Melkor!) and an overall marvelous drumming ability that shifts from full speed to momentary breaks for a breather, possessed-by-the-Devil kind of vocals, over the top and well performed riffing and finally a cold, mystical atmosphere to add to the package. Another thing that has made this album worth possessing (and listening to, of course!) is the production that doesn't suck at all. In fact, it is one of the reasons which has created strong foundation for Dans Les Bras des Immortels. First of all, the guitars do not get muffled or inadvertently drowned behind the mix. As I have said earlier, they stand out perfectly balanced with other instruments. This covers the drums which go hand in hand with deep resonating bass. How many times does a black metal record have people complaining about not being able to hear the bass? Well, fortunately for Frozen Shadows, they tend to stay away from being too attached with said 'non-glossy' production values by revving up the bass a bit, which to me doesn't hurt at all whenever I listen to it. Therefore, people who have listened to this album will at least have an idea what it entails. Even by just looking at the album cover, you already know Frozen Shadows are up to something, something really great. Yes. The icy cold production is as beautiful as the artwork itself. This, people, is proven strongly on track 6, which is definitely one of the greatest black metal songs in my opinion, Lunes Funebres. Boasting near epic length of over 9 minutes, this song does not disappoint me in any way even remotely. It fades in with some of the best riffs on this album which are backed by mournful keyboard, adding further to its already more-than-perfect composition. 02:50 into the song, the band employs repetitive acoustic passages layered over one another. Of course, this is nothing new for such genre, but the fact that its surreal magnificence outweighs its minimalistic nature is something that is hard for me to ignore. In total, all the tracks have lasting quality that will stand the test of time. The album closes with a rather upbeat cover of Burzum's Black Spell of Destruction. It's not close to the original but its presence is still sought after material.

To sum it up, Frozen Shadows really know how to create quality black metal music, which is something hard to come by these days considering that icy bands are cropping up everywhere. If one happens to encounter this album in its glossy jewel case format, I suggest that person has better grab it before it's too late because in the future, Dans Les Bras des Immortels may not see another reissue. Who knows, you might get the last surviving copy of this excellent mystical art. Alas, it takes them many years to return to the studio and record new material. I'm dying for something new from Frozen Shadows. This, to me, is perfection.

Frozen Shadows are a Black Metal-band from the French-speaking part of Canada: Quebec. That´s perhaps a reason why some of the lyrics are in French while the rest is in English. But of more importance indeed is the music. If I am honest, I've not heard that much this year that caught my attention like this one. Imagine the speed of Immortal's 'Pure Holocaust' combined with Emperor-like keyboards and a bit of Dissection, clothed in typical Nordic production, and you can guess a bit how this album sounds like. No real invention indeed, nevertheless I prefer this native style compared to all those wannabe-innovations like Ulver´s "Metamorposis" or Satyricon's last outputs. And, not to forget, this is very well-composed as well as played, and it has a lot of the feeling that many albums of today lack. For all those, still in the true veins of the Black Metal-movement, this is a must!

Favourite Track: Of Pain And Insufferable Torment

(Originally published in The Purgatory Of Grief 1999-2001 (RIP))

An outstanding release of excellent black metal in the old style drawing influences from Darkthrone, Kvist, Emperor, Shade, Taake, Burzum, and such high-quality acts.

'Dans les Bras des Immportels' is a sharpened spear of aural hate without being overly simple. They do use keyboards, but they are tastefully withdrawn and minimalistic in the mix of the songs, similar to Emperor's early work or Xasthur's later albums. The songs are agressive with fast drumming and a consistent buzzing of whirling guitars, which can compete with any european 'true' release with grace. The occasional keyboard and guitar break keep the album from being monotonous, and the vocals are above par in thier depiction of classic black metal hate. A 'wall-of-shifting-noise' approach seems to be evident is an analysis of the structure of this album, in a sense similar to Xasthur or Shining and similar dense suicidal bands. However, there are occasional arpeggiated melodies of minor and aeolian nature keeping a simple but dark hue to the tone of the album.

Easily one of the best black metal bands to come out of Quebec, and possibly one of the best currently active, they are an excellent hope of newer black metal not having lost all sense of the dark atmosphere it once commanded.