SANCTVS “De l'Abîme au Plérôme”
Life’s bitterest threnody - the lament of not knowing. Stretching out through the limitless cosmos by way of imagination yet shackled by cosmic binds. Our fullest potential never to be realized, only pondered upon as we spiral further towards a new Dark Age with only true Black Metal to see us off into this most inglorious future. Black Metal created by Montréal’s SANCTVS - a rather mysterious project that began in 2019 and has since released one, soon-to-be two LPs. The second, De l'Abîme au Plérôme, is set for a January 30 release via the renowned Osmose Productions.
Death - the merciless passing of time and all that goes along with it: age, hopelessness and decay. And with each passing moment do we also inch our way further towards our own demise. Therein lies the beauty and the curse of mortality. A tried-and-true concept; one detailed so fervently in misery-drenched cuts like the opener, “Rex Hominum”. A lazy intro quickly bleeds into the awe-inspiring power of the track’s following minutes. Surging riffs and blast-beats like your heart rate mid panic attack race through the minutes with maniacal energy. This is the stuff of transcendence. The further you delve, the more you’ll be reminded of the complex nature of SANCTVS’ fellows: Gevurah and Forteresse, but also of the French collective, SETH, as I’m reminded of their latest LP La France de Maudits, by the elegance of the following track, “Sacrifié sur l'autel de la rédemption” and the majestic nature of its resonance.
Melancholy like a hundred rain-soaked days - dreading the night - succumbing to its enveloping approach as “Tabula Rasa” unfolds to dismal soundscapes during its intro, only to retain the album’s foundational aggressive and wicked energy for its remaining minutes. Not a trace of Second Wave worship to be found here. De l'Abîme au Plérôme is contemporary black metal vision realized: no dry buzz and no crusty Norwegian basement stench, only the dynamics of world-class musicianship and fine recording. As I write this, we are dying… Time is unraveling faster as we get older and as we mourn the life, the world that once was. Spiraling into life’s one big consolation prize - a casket. With “De l'Abîme au Plérôme”, SANCTVS successfully captures both the urgency of time passing and the grim aftermath of life. Black Metal for the rueing of the day and for the slipping away of hope’s feeble grasp.
Perfection is not aimed for, only attained through cohesion, passion and a bit of chance. Everything here feels organic and not forced - an intense yet even flow of melody, harmony and rhythm. To the death of it all! To foggy graveyards, dank morgues and frigid tombs. It’s hard to believe isn’t it? That your time is going to end, not in a hundred years, but sometime much sooner than you would have expected. Let De l'Abîme au Plérôme be the soundtrack to the slipping of the sand through the hourglass. We’re doomed! Embrace it, embrace Black Metal while you can… Embrace SANCTVS and the perfect record that is De l'Abîme au Plérôme. Hail!
SCORE: 10 / 10
You can purchase De l'Abîme au Plérôme at SANCTVS’ Bandcamp when it’s released January 30th through Osmose Productions.
