Gris - Il Était une Forêt

Band - Gris
Genre(s) - Black metal
Origin - Canada (Québec obviously)
Album - Il Était une Forêt
Year of release - 2007

For my first actual music post I decided to go with one of my very favourite black metal albums. Gris as a band rose from the ashes of Niflheim and with Il Était une Forêt ("There was a Forest") they did so with style. The music builds from a standard depressive/atmospheric BM template but this isn't a band that lets genre conventions compromise their brilliant imagination. Aspects that stand out on this album are the emotionally wrecked harsh wails, hacking coughs and spitting that constitute the vocals, a great sense of building up tension to a climax, and a sensitive touch provided by the classical piano, together making for such wonderful moments as the final few minutes of highlight song Veux-tu Danser? A strange but no less beautiful touch is the pastoral neofolk/neoclassical outro track, La Dryade. All in all one of the most emotive black metal albums that I know.

1. Il était une forêt (There was a forest)
   
2. Le gala des gens heureux (The gala of the happy people)
   
3. Cicatrices (Scars)
   
4. Veux-tu danser? (Would you like to dance?)
   
5. Profonde misanthropie (Profound misanthropy)
   
6. La dryade (The dryad)
   

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