The brainchild of one Marc Dalton (also of the solid melodic black metal band Tyrmfar, who released a fine album earlier in 2023, Dialectic of Ego and the Unconscious), and this debut album De s​è​ve et de sang (‘Of Sap and Blood’) is a collection of songs based on the Swiss history, myths, tales, and legends. And it’s a very, very impressive album, that’s up there with 2023s very best atmospheric black metal from the likes of Numeron, Passéisme, Winds of Tragedy, and such.

Now I specifically bring up Passéisme and Winds of Tragedy, as Dalton has the same gruffer, vocal delivery as opposed to a standard black metal rasp or shriek, as well as a similarly burlier guitar tone, rather than a shriller, tinnier tone. This gives the material a powerful, but organic overall sound.

Admittedly, the opening number “Sedunum Invictus” isn’t anything too special, being a standard enjoyable, melodic/atmospheric black metal number. However, the delicate little atmospherics that start the second track ” Ce que c’est que la mort” signal a run of tracks that make for a killer album. The tremolo blast that erupts at 1:43 is essentially a perfect melodic black metal riff and chord progression that Dalton seems to revisit and lock into throughout the rest of the album, but that’s OK, it’s that damn good.

“La garde de Fer” continues the killer riffage with one of the album’s many standout melodic riffs.  There is yet another for the more brooding “Dryade de sang-mêlé”, where the chord progression starts to get a bit familiar, but still is oh-so-good. “Du haut de l’échafaud” is the album’s longest track and slows things down a bit for a mid-album break before “Le mal pour le mal” delivers a varied track of scathing melodic blasts and moody moments.

The last three tracks are more of the same absolutely killer riffs and melodies but in particular “Nuit des tourments” with its gorgeous keyboard laced first half and the closer “Tueuse d’étoile” where Dalton again locks into a stunning melodic riff to end the album on a really killer high note and certainly be in the mix for my 2023 year-end list.

Now, I’ve been into this miserable music since My Dying Bride was considered avant garde and Thergothon was called black doom, yet I still can’t tell you exactly where the line gets drawn between death/doom and funeral doom. But, I’d say Mesmur falls into the latter category. That often means songs that overstay their welcome and albums that outlast my patience. Fortunately Mesmur avoids funeral doom’s pitfalls…most of the time.

By funeral doom standards, Mesmur‘s runtime of 53 minutes makes it like a grindcore album. So, now you can have that The Lord of the Rings trilogy marathon and still enjoy some funeral doom in the same day instead of one or the other. However, with a total of just 5 tracks, you still get some fairly lengthy songs, which works better for some than others.

The first thing you’ll notice with opener, “Deprivation” is that this is very much a modern recording built upon everything that has developed in the genre over the past two decades; there’s no old school pandering here. Keyboard and subtle electronic elements permeate, but don’t overwhelm as the powerful, harrowing vocals of Chris G from Aussie death/doomsters Orphans of Dusk (who also released some great music this year) lead the way through the darkness. The production is clean, but satisfyingly thick and meaty. Indesinence and Evoken immediately come to mind. “Lapse” then starts with an ominous rumble reminiscent of Celtic Frost at their slowest or Winter at their fastest. After a brief ambient break, the track turns into an exercise in building tension, like the sounds of a beast rising from the abyss. Unfortunately, we never get to see the beast (funeral doom pitfall #1: buildup with no release). Instead we get the album’s most funereal track, “Abnegate.” Your mileage my vary, but its repetitive plodding lasted about 3 times too long for me (funeral doom pitfall #2: a song to nowhere). Thankfully it’s followed up by the album’s strongest track, “Descend,” which shifts between different movements and is awash in some of their most haunting synth work. The tone for the majority of the album is more menacing than melancholic. That gets reversed on closer “Osmosis.” Its final moments are especially heartrending. It’s a great way to end the album, but after hearing that they have this in them, it makes me wish they used it more.

Despite its minor shortcomings, Mesmur echoes loudly through the darkest corridors of doom and shows a lot of promise from this new band. If 2014 felt as light on the slow and heavy for you as it has for me, this could be just what you need.