Review: Seth Embody the Spirit of Revolution on La France des Maudits
From the very beginning, there’s always been an element of rebellion to black metal. Like most subgenres, it began as a way to buck the trends of the time in favor of something much more raw and exciting. But even as this once niche corner of extreme metal has continued to grow massively both in scope and in popularity, taking on a life and a wide spectrum all its own, at its core it still remains a bastion of ironclad defiance where societal norms are sneered at and spat on. History and ancient traditions are often lauded and put on a proverbial pedestal, and there is a distinct yearning for a return to “the old ways”.
La France des Maudits, the newest album from French black metal stalwarts Seth, approaches this concept from a slightly different perspective, shying away from tired tropes of macabre black magic rituals or spewing mockery and vitriol for Christianity and instead honing in on something a little more recent but equally as blood-soaked and savage: the French Revolution. It’s appropriate, if you think about it, seeing as the band are based out of the city of Bordeaux, a place that saw a particularly brutal amount of bloodshed during the Reign of Terror in the late 1700’s. A historian I am not, but all you need to know is that it was bad. Like, heads rolling left and right bad.
Like I said, it might take place in a marginally more modern setting than what we’re used to hearing from this genre, but the spirit is still very much there. There’s still plenty of blasphemy and worship of the self, don’t get me wrong, it’s just that there’s a little more historical context behind it this time around. The Revolution isn’t necessarily the main focus of the album, but more like a fittingly dramatic backdrop for fervent proclamations of reclaiming one’s own personal power. But don’t worry, there’s still naked women drinking blood out of golden goblets and all that crazy shit; we’ll get to that, but first let’s talk about the music itself.
It’s always refreshing to hear black metal with crisp, clean, high fidelity production that leaves nothing to the imagination. There’s a lot going on here, but with the exception of the bass, pretty much every detail is given ample room to breathe and makes itself known without drowning out anything else, and I’m sure if the bass were to be removed it would cause a noticeable downward shift in the quality of the tone. The way the keyboards lend a subtle yet somehow mournful flair to the guitars and Saint Vincent’s bellowing vocals is immensely satisfying, effectively encapsulating the spectacular fall of a once-proud nation. It’s got an air of bittersweetness to it, evoking images of hard-won triumphs and a burning, deep-seated resentfulness that refuses to die even after the battle has been won and the townsfolk stand panting in the street with blood, dust, and sweat stinging their eyes. Again, highly appropriate given the subject matter.
If La France de Maudits were a cocktail, it would be something very dark and heavy on the bitters, but with a distinct and powerfully minty aftertaste. Imagine a stiff Boulevardier with a mint leaf garnish instead of an orange slice. Sounds pretty good, actually. Overall, the entire album is exceptionally well balanced and aesthetically pleasing, shifting gracefully between menacing or triumphant as needed. Most of the songs do sound very similar and have a tendency to blend into one another, but honestly, that still doesn’t detract from the experience in any significant way. That being said, I did find the sixth track “Ivre du Sang de Saints” (or “Drunk on the Blood of Saints”) to be particularly catchy, especially in the second half, and it does so without losing any of the album’s signature atmosphere, so if I were to choose one song out of the bunch to best represent the album as a whole, it would be that one.
Rather than being completely bombastic and in-your-face like a lot of traditional black metal, Seth have instead elected to balance that aggression with an almost melancholic and mournful ambience, and that slightly more reserved approach works tremendously in their favor. There are a number of fast and furious segments as well, blast beats and all, but they are spaced out and used sparingly in order to build and release momentum in a way that is extremely gratifying. It creates a sense of immersion; not only do you feel like you’re witnessing these violent and bloody clashes unfold on the cobblestone streets of 18th century France, but you can also feel the survivors’ exhaustion and cautious, dawning realization of the power they never truly realized that they possessed.
This particular reimagining seems to insinuate pretty heavily that these victories may have been the result of demonic influence and shamelessly howls for the blood of the clergy, but it is a black metal album after all, so one can hardly blame them. Then again, this is only what I was able to gather from a rudimentary Google translation of the lyrics, so I could have missed the mark entirely, but either way it’s still a highly romanticized and thematic rendition of events. If you want a truly accurate historical retelling, then obviously you’d be better off watching a documentary or going to a museum or something. But if you want to have some fun with it, then this is the album for you. I may barely speak two words of French, but I didn’t need to understand what they were saying in order to be told a vivid and captivating story all the same, and for that all I can say is merci beacoup, mes amis. Très bien.
La France de Maudits drops this Sunday, July 14th via Season of Mist Records. Pre-order your copy here
