In Lingua Mortua: Salon Des Refuses

Salon Des Refuses is one of the most intriguing black metal albums you'll likely hear in quite some time. Why, you might ask? Well, let's take into consideration the following:

Does is contain saxophone? Check!

Does it contain female vocals? Check!

Does it contain Mellotron? Check!

Does it contain flute? Check!

Does it contain acoustic guitar? Check!

Does it contain clarinet? Check!

Does it contain all the traditional black metal elements, like screaming vocals, wild drum blasts, ambience, atmosphere, and raging guitar riffs? Check!

And lastly, does it contain a healthy amount of prog, doom, jazz, and folk influences as well? Check!

So, what does this all have to do with black metal anyway? Well for one, In Lingua Mortua are from Scandinavia and its members also happen to be in bands such as Shining, Keep of Kalessin, and Urgehal, all well known acts on the underground black metal scene. Throw in the fact that some of the band are also members of prog acts White Willow and Wobbler, and you have quite an eclectic mix of styles coming together, which is readily apparent when you hit the play button to begin listening to Salon Des Refuses.

From the opening moments of "Full Fathom Five", it's like a head on collision between Mayhem, King Crimson, Magma, Univers Zero, Celtic Frost, Burzum, and Miles Davis, as crushing riffs, wild drum blasts, jazzy sax, ominous Mellotron, and psychotic vocal screams all battle for supremacy. Despite the chaos, it all works quite well together. This is not traditional black metal by any means, but avant-garde & progressive black metal of the highest order. Check out the furious "Like the Ocean", an impressive piece with raging rasps and frantic blast beats providing the metal, while squonking sax and huge beds of Mellotron add in the jazz and prog element. "Into the Mincer" is nearly two minutes of snarling, ferocious black metal, and the creepy "Open the Doors of Janus" allows doomy riffs and plenty of atmosphere into the equation. It's hard to ignore the anguished screams, crushing riffs, and proggy keyboards of the mind blowing closer " Cold Void Messiah", a track that shows the band putting all their influences together and really coming up with something fascinating yet totally unsettling. Great use of Mellotron here!

With over a dozen musicians taking part in Salon Des Refuses, you can he sure that what you'll hear on this CD is varied and crosses multiple genres. If you have the patience to give it a try, chances are the avant-garde nature of this album will blow you away.

Track Listing
1. Full Fathom Five
2. Existence
3. Darkness
4. Catharsis
5. Like the Ocean
6. Into the Mincer
7. Open the Doors of Janus
8. Electrocution
9. Skjelvende av Angst
10. A Force of Nature
11. Cold Void Messiah

Added: September 30th 2010
Reviewer: Pete Pardo
Score:
Related Link: Band Website
Hits: 2428
Language: english

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