Felonie: De Sève et de Sang (2023)

One-man Black Metal bands can be quite hit and miss, as for each one that works there are many that totally miss the mark, but this debut never comes across as the work of just one guy plus a session drummer. What we have here is a side-project from Swiss musician Marc Bourban, (Wizards Of Wiznan, Tyrmfar) and is inspired by local history, tales, and legends. With just Nikola Dušmanić (Ptomain), who guested on drums, for company he entered the studio in 2022 and came out with this album in just four months. I had decided to grab this one as I am always intrigued by one-man outfits, plus this is one of my favourite labels for this style of music so knew there was a high chance this would be really enjoyable, and I was not disappointed. Mixed and mastered by Rob Carson (Bloodstorm, Xaon), this sounds as if it was recorded by a well-known full band with a top producer, not just one guy in a studio playing multiple instruments and singing.

Although he is best known for two bands playing sludgy stoner death and melodic black metal respectively, here Marc is using atmospheric metal as a base for much of this, although there is plenty of guitar action throughout. He has a strong understanding of the need for contrast and depth with delicate synths here and there which provide some light finesses, as well as one song that is mostly instrumental (“Nuit des Tourments”), which is all synth for the first half before becoming a doom/atmospheric number for the second with a very nice build. Marc does show some of his influences here and there, moving BM into more mainstream areas when he feels the need, but it is when he is moving into symphonic atmospheric BM that he comes across at his best. It is the dynamics and the way he moves around the genre which makes this such an interesting release, and one which any fan of Black Metal would do well to discover.

Rating: 7/10