There’s something about French black metal that always seems to grab me by the ears and shake my head like I’m on some sort of macabre, aural fairground. Bands like The Great Old Ones, Alcest, Blut Aus Nord and Deathspell Omega have, amongst them, released some of my favourite black metal albums of all time. Conversely, Japan is home to some of the most head-scratchingly, avant-garde music you can find on this earth. So, when I saw that there was a new record from French / Japanese black metal band Enterré Vivant, I almost did myself an injury whilst racing to the nearest speaker!
Enterré Vivant are a duo that formed in 2019, consisting of French multi-instrumentalist Erroiak, and Sakrifiss, a French writer, vocalist and metal obsessive who has lived in Japan since 2001. Over the course of three previous albums, the duo have developed the Franco-Japanese identity that now defines them, expanding their sound further through the use of traditional Japanese instrumentation and themes.
Kurogoku is an album that is based around the six realms of existence from Buddhist cosmology, with each of its six tracks representing a different realm. It’s a suitably grand concept, and yet it doesn’t feel forced or academic at any point during it’s 49 minute runtime. Instead, the themes become part of the music itself. Flutes, keyboards and Japanese-influenced melodies drift in and out of the black-metal passages, creating something that is both atypical and yet completely absorbing.
Gakidô is a particularly vicious introduction, throwing furious blasts and abrasive guitars at the listener before the album begins to reveal its more atmospheric side. Ningendô is perhaps a more accurate representation of the album’s emotional core, beginning quietly before building towards a wonderfully melancholic black-metal passage. There’s a real sense of sorrow in the vocal performance here, with the contrast between the calmer passages and the eventual eruption making the track particularly effective.
Then there’s Tendô, which could well be my favourite moment on the record. Its opening is dominated by a slow, spoken lament delivered in French. It’s mournful, powerful and filled with an emotional pain that is startlingly vivid, and it’s made even more impactful with the eventual inclusion of the ghostly, ethereal vocal textures performed by guest vocalist Uguisu.
What surprised me more than anything is how the sonic nature of traditional Japanese folk music lends itself so well to the theatrics of symphonic black metal. For any regular listeners / readers, you will be well aware of the fact that I am (generally) not a fan of that particular branch of black metal, however, it’s undeniable that Kurogoku does often cross into the more symphonic style (Chikushôdô is a perfect example of this). It surprised me, then, that the Japanese melodies and instrumentation melded so naturally into the music in a way that didn’t feel overly performative or jarringly “black-metal Broadway”.
Shuradô brings the record to a suitably restrained conclusion, trading much of the aggression for expansive, spacious melodies. The traditional instrumentation is used here to create these enormous, atmospheric swells that conjur up visions of lush Japanese forests and mountains . After the intensity that precedes it, this final track feels purposefully placed, almost as if is meant to cleanse you and reset your mind, it’s a genuinely smart piece of songwriting that succesfuly manages to tie the listeners emotional feelings in the with album’s overarching themes of Buddhism.
Kurogoku is an album that benefits from being allowed to wash over you, gradually revealing its details with each listen. Impressively, for a project that was written by two individuals over 6000 miles apart, Enterré Vivant have created something that feels completely one-of-a-kind and unique to them. This is atmospheric black metal with a genuine sense of place and history, it’s symphonic black metal with a true identity rather than a superficial aesthetic. It’s dark, strange and beautiful…..but more than anything else it’s an album that feels filled with integrity, and I feel like a better person for having listened to it.
Best Paired with – a green tea and a warm sunset by the side of a lake.
Reviewed by Bryn.
Enterré Vivant – Kurogoku is out now on transcendance Records.
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