During the COVID-19 pandemic, Sakis Tolis, confined like everyone else, decided to kill some time by giving life to his first solo album. Rotting Christ's singer seems to have acquired a taste for it, as he has since released another solo album, The Seven Seals of the Apocalypse (this time under the name χ ξ ς'), and is currently working on the next one. The French public got to experience all this live for the first time on stage at Backstage by the Mill, thanks to an evening organised by Sanit Mils, and the night promised to be a good one, with Mürrmürr and Decline of the I as support acts. You could sense that it was going to be a special evening when, even before the first concert began, there was already a large crowd in the front row, glued to the stage!
MÜRRMÜRR
When you go to a black metal concert, if the musicians hide under the hoods of their hoodies and don't wear makeup or funny costumes, it's because the emphasis will be on atmosphere rather than grand guignol. Be careful, if the hoods are those of togas, it's something else entirely! Mürrmürr has only released two EPs so far, but already offers a strong personal universe. The French lyrics highlight the texts, inspired by history and religion (the religious wars of the 16th century serve as the backdrop for the EP Katharos, while Magdala talks about the Magdalena's Asylums, those Irish establishments that ‘set young girls in distress back on the right path’ with all the abuse one can imagine - recently highlighted in Tim Mielants' film Small Things Like These starring Cillian Murphy).
Tracks follow one another like stories made of pain, between explosions of burning darkness (Kildara, whose lyrics are spat out at us with rage) and more contemplative pauses haunted by spoken word recitations. There is melancholy but also majesty in Mürrmürr, a poetry that sometimes ignites without veering into excessive theatricality. The musicians' involvement gives substance to the tracks, while singer Benjamin Ruquet takes on the role of a disturbing and possessed narrator. With its solid concept, to which the music pays fitting tribute, Mürrmürr is one to watch closely... we can't wait to see what joyful moments in history they will take us to in the future!
DECLINE OF THE I
During the twenty-minute break between the concerts by Mürrmürr and Decline of the I, the venue's sound system changes atmosphere: while the doors opened to black metal playing in the background, this time we are treated to violins accompanied by electronic music from the Balanescu Quartet... enough to immerse us in the unique atmosphere of Decline of the I's most recent album Wilhelm, a gem of post-black metal full of poetry, creativity and tormented soul. Live, however, Decline of the I does not particularly emphasise the most surprising experiments of their latest work, including Aphex Twin-style IDM and spectral violins. The concert is intense, filled with anguish and fury. This does not prevent the band from imposing its unique personality from the moment it arrives, with the sound of an interview given by Marie-Jo Simenon shortly before her suicide, sampled at the beginning of Diapsalmata.
Between its atmospheric cinematic passages, introspective electronic sections, and more theatrical explosions reminiscent of Rotting Christ and Behemoth, Decline of the I references Kierkegaard, Jean Eustache, and Bukowski, resulting in a fascinatingly rich work. Hidden in the shadows, the tormented mastermind behind the project and guitarist AK (who has worked with Eros Necropsique, further proof that this gentleman appreciates the most tortuous darkness) lets his singer take centre stage. It's a bit of a shame that the layout of the venue doesn't allow us to really see the screen at the back of the stage, onto which lyrics and film clips are projected, as this visceral poetry lends itself to less conventional staging. The tracks are long, immersive, ambitious and exciting. Decline of the I is an atypical project with a unique universe that explodes preconceived notions of genre and bends the rules to put music at the service of emotions, which is all the more true with the deep, clear vocals provided by AK. This universe may demand extra attention from its audience, but the reward is well worth it: it is powerful, haunting, tortuous, but always strikingly beautiful.
SAKIS TOLIS
A little less than an hour ago, we thought we could hear clues about the upcoming concert in the music playing in the venue. So we weren't quite sure what to think when we heard an old french singer, Michel Polnareff, filling in during the break... Fortunately, when the star of the evening took to the stage, it wasn't to reel us in with French chanson standards. With his usual enthusiasm, he treated the Parisian audience to songs from his solo repertoire, a mix of all the influences that have inspired his career, from heavy metal to extreme metal. We were delighted to hear him include a track from The Seven Seals of the Apocalypse, Seal 3-(Revelation 6:5-6) -The Black Horse, whose dark mystical incantations and martial rhythms are most effective. Sakis Tolis is an outstanding charismatic leader, and he proves it once again in a role halfway between an ancient tyrant and the leader of a band of friends whom we follow on all his adventures. The audience reacts immediately. It is surprising to see how songs like My Salvation, The Dawn of a New Age and We the Fallen Angels already seem to be cult classics for an audience that knows the lyrics by heart.
