Ende’s “Crawling in Winter”: Black Coffee, No Cream, Two Scoops of Cocaine

I don’t know if France is actually the world’s leader in production of quality black metal, but it sure seems that way sometimes. Blut Aus Nord, Deathspell Omega, Alcest, Peste Noire, of course, and Celeste, whose next North American tour we’re sponsoring… and that’s off the top of my head. I’m sure the comments section will leap in to tell me what an idiot I am for forgetting Bande Divers or whomever.

Add Ende to that list. The group isn’t new, exactly — their first album came out in 2012 — but I bet they’re new to plenty of us! I sure as hell hadn’t heard of them before I got an e-mail announcing the release of their new song, “Crawling in Winter,” and now I’m hooked. They specialize in that distinctly French thing where they seem at once really pissed off yet really introspective. It might actually be a grand representation of France’s entire culture, in fact. And even if it isn’t, it’s friggin’ awesome, a series of movements, each more gripping than its predecessor. It’s the kind of song where by the end, you can’t quite remember how it began, you just know it was fascinating every step of the way — an epic adventure in half-remembered dream form.

Like I said. Awesome.

Check out “Crawling in Winter” below. The track will appear on Ende’s new album, Goétie Funeste (Disastrous Goethe) , which comes out March 10 on Obscure Abhorrence Productions / Dread Records. Keep your eyes peeled to Ende’s Bandcamp page for pre-orders.