De Sève et de Sang (Of Sap and Blood) is the first release by one-man black metal outfit Félonie. However, its progenitor, Marc Bourban, has been on the scene in his native Switzerland for a number of years, notably with Tyrmfar (melodic black metal) and Wizards of Wiznan (sludgy stoner death), handling bass and guitar for the former, and on vocal and guitar duties for the latter. After years playing in other bands, Bourban decided it was time to release something entirely of his own creation and thus was Félonie spawned. An ode to Switzerland, and his home canton of Valais (home of the mighty Matterhorn) in particular, De Sève et de Sang delves into the ancient history and myths of the region for its inspiration. Does it get the Sang flowing or Sève the mood?1
While atmospheric black metal is the dominant mood here, there is a surprising amount of groove woven into the fabric of De Sève et de Sang (“Pax Romana – Pax Dissueta” and parts of “Du Haut de l’Echafaud”), sometimes more effectively than others, as well as a few grander, more symphonic elements (“Nuit des Tourments” in particular but also “Ce que c’est que la Mort”). For the most part, pacey and percussive, Félonie doesn’t spend too much time noodling around in the “atmospheric” parts of atmospheric black metal. Sure, it makes use of synths and some of the guitar work relies heavily on repetition to build intensity but the record has a real pace and sense of percussive energy to it. Even where it does pause for breath, like on the down-pace synthy “Nuit des Tourments,” which borders on doom in places, this is not overdone. Coming about two-thirds of the way through the record it works well as a palate cleanser before the two closing tracks.
In fact, without it, the impact of excellent closer “Tueuse d’Etoile” would be substantially lessened. Similarly, “Sedunum Invictus,” with its pounding drums and mesmerizing, repeating guitar refrain, is as great a way to open De Sève et de Sang, as “Tueuse d’Etoile” is to close it. Perhaps what also sets Félonie slightly apart from many atmoblack bands is Bourban’s vocals, which lean into hoarse doom-death roar, rather than typical black metal rasps. These pair to particularly good effect with some of the neo-folk synth moods that surface at the beginning of “Ce que c’est que la Mort,” before that track rips into life with a relentless blast beat and tremolo riffs. The album’s longest cut, “Du Haut de l’Echafaud,” was the one that caught my attention most on my first few listens to De Sève et de Sang, its furious bursts of energy, and shades of light and dark cast in soaring guitar melodies, as well as moments of quieter introspection, making it a great centerpiece for the record.
However, in flaunting its wares more than the rest of De Sève et de Sang, that track does two other things. First, it overshadows some of the excellent but more nuanced work elsewhere on the record, most notably on the first two tracks. Secondly, it serves to disguise the fact that a couple of the other songs (“La Garde de Fer” and “Le Mal pour le Mal”) are lacking a bit in substance or any standout moments. It must also be said that the groove-laden stomp of “Pax Romana …,” while offering something a little different from the rest of Félonie’s material, feels jarringly out of place and detracts from what could have been an excellent close to the record, if that track wasn’t sandwiched between “Nuit des Tourments” and “Tueuse d’Etoile.” Cutting “Pax Romana…” would also shave about five minutes off the runtime, bringing the record down to a trim 44 minutes and making it a little punchier. The production is solid, with more of a rich doom-death texture than many atmoblack records, which complements the vocals well.
Overall, Félonie impressed me with this debut, the highs of which are great. However, although there are no major missteps here, there is also no getting away from the fact that there is a little padding on De Sève et de Sang and at least one track that, while not bad in itself, doesn’t sit well with the rest of the material. That said, this is a very good record, with some great moments, and does more than enough to make me hope that Bourban has more Félonie in him.
Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Aural Music and Code666
Websites: felonie.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/felonie
Releases Worldwide: October 13th, 2023
