Black Metal one man band Maudiir is out with a new EP filled with sinister menacing.
Following up on last year’s release Le Temps Peste, the new set continues the sentiment and drives the dark spike further, leaning in on speed and prog to unveil a broader musical spectrum. Maudiir is comprised entirely of a single musician, F, or Frédéric Bergeron, according to the Metal Archives. Everything you hear on the album is him.
There are five songs, beginning with “Fracture,” which has a head fake up front followed by walloping riffs. The vocals are very much Black Metal in style, with the slider moved toward the middle. And there is a tasty lead guitar passage, too, putting a ribbon on the song. More up-beat and catchy than your typical music in this vein, Maudiir is creating a unique space for the musical brew he stirs up.
“The Slumber” is next, and while it has high concept guitar layers to it, the track does not give up on the melody. The complexity starts to deepen. “The Fortunate Few” has a more death-metal-like opening but rolls quickly into a rollick then shifts toward prog. “Spirit Of Sulfur” is frantic at every turn, while the closer, “The Crowning Hour,” settles back into the blue collar riff and pushes in Mercyful Fate / King Diamond style storytelling and musical theatrics. A lot of ground is covered on this EP, and it is an excellent continuation and escalation of the groundwork in last year’s album. Recommended.
La Part du Diable drops on Friday, February 19th and the Bandcamp link below is the place to get it.
Links.
Bandcamp, https://maudiir.bandcamp.com/
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