L'Amorce Du Déclin

Lately I have received many good albums from the French underground, which shows that there is a very good level and enough passion by the bands there, new and older. One of those albums is “L’ Amorce Du Declin”, the second full length album of Orthanc, a quite old band, who exist since 1995 and they have also released an Ep and a split. This album consists of eight tracks lasting forty – two minutes. Firstly when I saw the awful cover I had many doubts concerning the quality of their music, but by the first listen, I understood that here we deal with a very good release. Orthanc combine perfectly their Norwegian straightforward Black Metal influences with nice rhythmic Thrash and some Motorhead – like parts. Also in some parts dsBM atmosphere makes its appearance.

The riffs are very interesting and addictive, with much variety both inside the track both from one track to another. Every instrument is very well played, from the very good guitars to the awesome drums and bass. The vocals are harsh, very expressive Black Metal vocals. The insanity expressed by the vocalist fits absolutely with the music’s style and that makes you live it even more. The production is clean, without having any mistake but also without anything special. Concerning the mixture, the band has taken care of it so you can listen to every instrument but without the sound losing its dynamics. The entire album’s lyrics are written in French. With the few French I know I think the lyrics deal with France and generally with the nation of French, their history and their legacy.

Something else that made an impression to me is the very good use of acoustic guitar and flute. “Le Glaive” is entirely played only by acoustic guitar and flute and it puts out a wonderful feeling. Generally Orthanc did a very good job in “L’ Amorce Du Declin” which combines many different influences creatively and with personality. I liked this album much and it going to stay for some time in my speakers. Buy it or at least listen to it.