Title: Helserkr (Compilation)
Artist: Sanctuaire
Rating: 4.5 / 5
Genre: Black Metal / Ambient
Year: 2015
Country: Canada
Label: Tour de Garde
Sanctuaire is a one man project by Monarque Helserkr from Quebec. The Quebec scene has maintained a cult status in Black Metal with bands such as Sorcier des Glaces and Fortresse, and Sanctuaire certainly carries the black torch of Québécois metal proudly. This release is actually my favorite release to come out of the Quebec Black Metal circle. This review is based on the Helserkr compilation CD, which is made up of the Helserkr demo from 2014 and the Echo I demo, which were previously available on tape.
The CD begins with the Helserkr demo tape tracks, which the band describes as follows: “The first half of the CD is a raw yet epic and atmospheric recording praising nature as well as ancient northern mysticism and barbarism. Melodic and austere, it’s a call to arms, the echo of a time when glory and tradition prevailed”. These themes are perfectly manifested in the music here. The first riff in Gardien du Nord brings to mind the classic ‘Raging Winter’ riff from Satanic Warmaster; a furious and aggressive nod to the early 90’s. Like the aforementioned band, Sanctuaire has the ability to play very melodic and traditional black metal riffs while still maintaining a raw sound. Near the end of the song, a synth break begins with tribal frame drumming and acoustic strumming, and the sounds of war and battle in the background. This is traditional black metal of the highest order, with real spirit and hatred, and a longing to return to our glorious past. While many bands simply copy the themes and ideas of their idols, Sanctuaire plays black metal with conviction and sincerity. Although only four metal tracks are featured on this CD, they are among the highlights of the release.
Tracks 5-13 feature ambient songs from the first Sanctuaire demo ‘Echo I’. The band writes: “The second half of the CD is like an ancestral voice, it is the wandering of an ancient folklore, fantastical, from another time, another world. Close to both the earth and the sky, this is a collection of tracks done with a keyboard and traditional instruments. All tracks are different and stand on their own”. The reason that I post the band’s own words here is because I could not have said it better myself. The Echo I tracks are honestly my favorite ambient songs to be released since Vindkaldr released the ‘Ambient I’ album. Sanctuaire excels at creative moving and incredibly atmospheric ambient songs with very little instrumentation. To create ambient of this style is always a risk, since many songs only use a couple of synth sounds at a time. The music is very bare and exposed, and musicians who write music in this style run the risk of creating boring or directionless songs. However, each one of these Sanctuaire songs takes the listener on a journey into it’s own world. While simple and repetitive, these songs are created with a near flawless level of composition. Aside from the excellent use of synthesizers, some tracks also feature frame drums or harp instruments, which add to the ancient feeling and character of the release. Since buying this CD I have found myself listening to the ambient tracks nearly every week, and even after repeated listens the songs do not lose their power.
This review is based on the digipak version of the release which features an amazing layout with a 12 page booklet. Sanctuaire has not only created my favorite release from the Quebec black metal scene, but has created one of the strongest albums I’ve heard in years. For those readers who walk on the Old Path, this release is especially for you.
