ninehertz

“Deuil” (I’m guessing pronounced from zee French/Wallonie ‘Doye’ meaning ‘Mourning’) are a Belgian ambient black metal/ post-rocky sludge band that creates these lengthy, simmering, epically bleak concept driven songs.

Their latest, release Acceptance/Rebuild seems almost orchestral in its ambition, moving (not so seamlessly I might add) between, codas? I guess, (to use the appropriate lingo). Acceptance begins with vocalisations like throat-singing concluding with shoegaze-y discord twenty minutes later; it all feels like a journey to Hades. For me, I feel a disconnect between each “movement” or section and the transitions are far from seamless, which as a listener felt broke the mood a bit (why not have four five minute songs)? This could be to do with the fact it’s all recorded live- in other words a very serious sounding band with a highly disciplined approach.

The ten minute long counterpart to Acceptance, Rebuild starts off with a creepy folk-horror sounding death shanty and culminates in a heavy drone/sludge treatise on life? I’m confused by this point.

Bearing in mind the intention to convey mourning though the record is a success, however odd this is in practise and it really is atmospheric as fuck. Deuil sit on the experimental end of the spectrum (artistic practise wise as well as sound) and if you listened to Sunn-O))) for the first time with an open mind, you would probably have time for Deuil. I’d like to hear how this band develop, especially if they absolutely nail it one astonishing take next time.