At times, it feels as if the tree of metal music has become stagnant with genres hitting a dead end of predictability. As I push deeper into the underground though, I've been fortunate to discover an increasing amount of overlooked artists who strive to prove that the progression of experimentation in metal is not dead. Over the past couple years, those who seriously caught my attention include Binary Code, Moon Tooth, Cyborg Octopus, and more with Montfaucon being a recent find. The common factor across all mentioned seems to be an acquisition for a much needed forward-thinking mentality.
Although Montfaucon does not stylistically share much with the above mentioned groups, there is still a certain amount of originality in their material to the extent that they stand out. Their fusion of progressive musicianship with harsh elements of black, death, and doom metal tones can be shown on their full-length debut, Renaissance. And before I indulge into the actual tracks, I'd like to give attention to the fact that these compositions are created only by two musicians, multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Valentin Mayamsin and pianist/keyboardist Michel Cadenzar, who are currently located in the US but originated from Uzbekistan.
"Prisoner," the opening piece, portrays how powerful the duo behind Montfaucon actually is. The elegance of the instrumentation and rhythm is a perfect contrast between the blackened death metal segments. With the next track, "I Was a Warrior," the act finds themselves leaning more on their darker side while continuing to present blackened death metal in an experimental manner via classical piano and a 70's rock guitar solo. While it became clear that influences include the proggy side of Opeth or Death, the slight variations that were added to the music skewed the band from completely being pigeonholed to the genre's stereotypes.
The following few songs continue a balance of aesthetically pleasing death/doom with a large focus on the piano accompaniment. "The Last Night" concludes the record up in a very cohesive manner. The guitar riff in the song is equally catchy as sinister. And while the production was spot-on throughout the album, I would say the uniquely clean, yet lo-fi mix is shown best on this closing track. Nowadays, bands can't make the sacrifice of low quality production on their debut release. Luckily, Renaissance directly combats this conflict by featuring mixing and mastering from the legendary Dan Swanö known for his work in Bloodbath and Katatonia.
I always feel silly when describing extreme metal as beautiful when the connotation of this style of music is normally intended to be blatantly abrasive and non-conventional, but it seems impossible not to acknowledge the beauty conveyed within Renaissance as each piece boasts such grandeur qualities. Overall, that aspect alone is definitive to the band's identity and what I would consider highly original. Admittedly, the use of piano and subdued dynamics aren't foreign to black, death, or doom metal, yet this duo has shaped their style in a way that is creative and genuine to the point where it sounds fresh. My personal take away is that Montfaucon seamlessly blends folksy prog with extreme metal way too impressively smooth for a relatively new formed band and I very much anticipate their further stylistic experimentation.
Score: 8.5/10
