Quebecois metal, huh? What are they doing up there and how are they poisoning the waters in order to cultivate such a savage movement that’s running out tons of goods bands that absolutely destroy? Don’t get me wrong: It’s always been ripe territory for great music, but something has really happened in the past few years that have forced up to pay attention or else.

We have a new contender with blood smeared across its jaws in the form of Trépas, a band combining formers members of Outre-Tombe and Morgue, two other noteworthy crushers from the Great White North. This band is getting ready to deliver their debut offering “L’héritage du monde,” a six-track smasher. It’s a great late-year delivery, one that’ll get your blood racing through your veins as you head outside to face the inevitable frigidity. At least I think it’s going to get cold at some point. The band—vocalist Goliatt, guitarists Harfang and Orme, bassist Fleau, drummer Averse—don’t have a lot of info circulating besides their Facebook page, and not a lot of information is readily available about the band. And that’s not a big a deal as how the music sounds, and it feels massive, doomy, and punishing, another fine example to stand alongside Forteresse, Hellebore, Monarque, Gris, Tenebrae, and so many others carrying their province’s banner.

“Rivages Sombres” bursts open and pounds away as vicious cries rain down, and the drumming hammers the senses. Strong leads blend into atmospheric clean guitars the send chills, while wrenching growls burst out of that, opening up a black stampede that rages to the song’s surging finish. “L’aube” unleashes a melodic charge that heads into an assault of massive shrieks, while the playing races underneath the array of colors. The playing is jolting, while the vocals pierce your eardrums, and the song ends with a strong stormfront that leaves behind thick sheets of ice. The title track also gets off to a ravaging start, which gets the air jostling in your lungs, all the while the band is going in between clean passages and massive blasts. Growls and shrieks mix and blast the surface with icy refuse, with a flood of chaos bringing a rush of guitar work that lathers and leaves strange textures and markings behind.

“Charognes” has riffs strangling, shrieks blasting, and the guitar work running circles all over everything. The song tries to take you down and smother you, though some mercy is allowed when clean guitars circulate, swimming with the current. That later detonates with savagery as the track gains dangerous amounts of speed, and the song has a massive final burst. “Trépas” has a different feel when it gets started, changing the mood a bit, but then the drums are unchained, and the growls punish you. Melody again courses as the shrieks jab at your flesh, while growls strike before the song barrels into its final resting place. “Errance” is your closer, and it makes its way in calmly before its guts are ripped out. The drums pound hard as the pace jostles, with strong guitar work making its black metal soul even more apparent. There’s a killer solo that paves the way for some classic metal pockets, and the track stays on a melodic turn as its finds its way into the darkness for good.

Trépas are just taking their first steps as a band, but their debut “L’héritage du monde” is a burning example of just how devastating this group is even in its infancy. The tracks here are rich and explosive, massive jolts coming from the north and warning about their impending arrival into the great black metal battleground. This is a really good time to get on with some bands that are just scratching the surface, and Trépas would be an excellent place to start.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/trepasblackmetal/

To buy the album, go here: https://www.sepulchralproductions.com/collections/preorders

For more on the label, go here: https://www.sepulchralproductions.com/