Coming out of the French Alps on black sleds of vengeance is Aldaaron, waving a banner dripping blood and blasting album number five,e Par-delà les cimes (Above and Beyond the Summits). After the marvelous Majestic Heights, Melancholic Depths back in 2023, they (presumably) started working on Par-delà les cimes. The result is a bombastic triumph from this French Black Metal Cult.

There’s an icy intro building on haunting keys before the scythe-like riff bursts forth, then there’s a quick drum fill, and like the thunderous roar of an avalanche, “Antediluvian Prophecies” bites and tears over furious blasting. Ioldar’s vocals are particularly savage on Par-delà les cimes. This 8:59-minute journey into the frozen French Alps is magnificent and blissful.

I’ve been an ardent fan of Aldaaron since their 2010 debut Nous reviendrons immortels, and throughout their first four albums is this love of nature and its dark secrets. This was evident on Majestic Heights, Melancholic Depths from 2023 and on Par-delà les cime,s they run wild with it. Over the course of these four track,s Aldaaron captures your attention and holds it in an iron grip.

“Frozen Shadows of the Exalted Sun” rises on black wings, melancholic and precise. The intro is acoustically driven until the seismic blasting drums come racing in. Through the course of this 10:01 minute epic, Aldaaron changes tempos with diabolical precision and here they’re striking hard. The halfway point is a lulling reprise before the icy riffs come in like a blizzard with glass shards instead of ice.

“Chants d’hiver et de solitude” gives off a feeling of foreboding before giving in to another blistering blizzard of blast beats falling on your head; pummeling and unforgiving, just like nature’s incredible fury. It’s easily one of my favorite tracks, giving off a sense of isolation even while the riffs and blasts swirl unforgiving in your eardrums.

Spare riffs, rivers of blood through the pure snow, is how “Under the Icy Sky, Memories Fade Away” begins. Then the tremolo picking sweeps up and carries the blitzkrieg forward. Aldaaron is a literal force of nature, and here on Par-delà les cimes they once again prove why they are among the French Black Metal elite.

Album five sees a maturing band. From their raw beginnings to this utterly mesmerizing album. As the end comes into view and the final torrent of blast beats gives way to the final notes ringing out in a cold, desolate, alpine wasteland.

For people who love Dimmu Borgir, Emperor, Saor, and all things atmospheric, blackened goodness. Check this out while climbing the wall at your local gym or an actual mountain, whatever.

 

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