For a French black metal band, this is not quite what I was expecting. Normally when I listen to French black metal, I’m usually thinking of Blut Aus Nord, Deathspell Omega, Antaeus, or other more orthodox, suicidal, and harsher acts. La Rumeur des Chaînes sound nothing like that. In fact, La Rumeur des Chaînes have more in common with parts of Sigh, Oblomov, or maybe even Arcturus and even then that’s pretty much a stretch.

La Rumeur des Chaînes play a melodic style of black metal that interlaces the typical blackened shrieks and shrills of the genre with bombastic sampling of orchestral parts and even some elements of jazz. The sound is something extremely upbeat and bombastic in comparison to most black metal acts. The typical blasting drumming found in black metal is there, but the guitar riffs are varied and anything but the primitive, forward movement of many black metal acts. The best way I can put it is that it’s like listening to a slowed down Naglfar using a more generic vocal delivery intermixed with the composing of a lunatic Danny Elfman and elements of 1980’s fantasy/action movies with guitar-driven soundtracks. I don’t know if that even makes any sense. The orchestral parts will definitely appeal to Dimmu Borgir fans of the last several albums, but it would be unfair to throw La Rumeur des Chaînes into that category as La Rumeur des Chaînes is nowhere as tepid as Dimmu Borgir.

Regardless, this is most definitely atypical compared to the French black metal that I’m used to. I’m still deciding whether or not I like La Rumeur des Chaînes‘ debut EP. It’s not like their orchestral parts are bad, per say, but they haven’t jumped out and grabbed me. At times the sampling is too close to something I heard on a Rhapsody album and other times it works with the blackened riffs, vocals, and drumming of the music. This EP is most definitely for particular people only.

Written By: Necro-tron