Borgne are not part of the Quebecois black metal scene championed by this label but are very closely affiliated and the first signed group from outside the area signed by Sepulchral Productions. Coming from Europe, Switzerland to be precise, Bornyhake “aka” Ormenos really impressed me with last album ‘Entraves de l’Âme’ released in 2010 so I was keen to hear how the outfit had progressed. Looking at the official Facebook page it would seem that this is a fully fledged band now rather than a one man entity, whether this is for live appearances only or for the album I’m not totally sure but one thing was quickly evident on listening to this hour long ‘Kingdom Of Shadows,’ there has certainly been plenty of progression.
Most of the tracks are a good ten minutes long or so and it is down to the creepy and crepuscular shortest number, instrumental ‘Fall Of The Lost Souls’ to set things up. This it does with fantastic sense of atmosphere, reminiscent a bit of the sinister alchemy of Munruthel. The waves of pulsating synth are gloomy and eerie and full of palpable horror, something is approaching and it is evil incarnate, are we prepared? As the cover suggests the cemetery is our domain and the sound of ‘Suffer As I Paid My Grave’ sees the sombre instrumentation coming in borne on nocturnal gravid vocal rasps; it is as though Nosferatu has arrived and is crawling through the tombs in search of prey to satiate his ever demanding thirst. Drums are machine like and not human clattering away and the melody is rich and dripping with claret etched harmony. Backing choral vocals emerge from the fog giving it a ritualistic feel and the glistening icy cold keyboard peel that accompanies them sends a really numbing shiver down the spine. Magnificent. There are a lot of weird noises coming through the speakers that sound as though they could be strange creatures or perhaps the background moaning of the recently deceased, they filter through ‘In the Realm of the Living I’m Dead’ but the commanding presence is the feral vocals and the musicianship which gets ever more furious as things progress. Again the keys are fantastic, reigning in the melody and atmosphere reminding a fair bit of Badalamenti in their quieter moments and the likes of Frizzi as they really go for the jugular. At times this is like sitting down to an all night zombie marathon and as the unhinged swagger of ‘Only The Dead Can Be Heard’ takes grip I am wide awake and on the edge of my seat. The majestic keyboards flow working as the tension and the ever more vile voice rasping out the words spread “I want to destroy everything”, this contagion is breeding foul pestilence.
The epic ‘All These Screams Through Me’ is not far off a quarter of an hour in length and changes pace by starting with maudlin acoustics over dripping water. We feel like we are now in dank dark mausoleums, treading carefully through the realms of the dead as the mid paced crunch of the instrumentation comes in. Vocals are clearly understood making them even more sinister in delivery. “You want to live but you can’t!” they beseech and the keys go into a funereal fugue of sorrow and loss as good as anything heard in a Fulci movie. It’s pure misanthropy for the last one as we enter symphonic realms for ‘The Last Thing You Will See’ galloping away and going for the kill in every sense. “I will find you wherever you” yep we are not doubting it when these words are howled out and the final nail in this coffin is an incredibly potent one.
This album pretty much sums up everything I like about black metal and is music drenched in atmosphere, terror and pure unfettered horror. Royaume des Ombres is up there with albums like I Shalt Become’s Poison and has really made an impact that is going to be long lasting for me and a favourite nighttime soundtrack for a long time to come
(9/10 Pete Woods)
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