You can’t help but be perturbed by the Catholic church. I grew up in it, and after about a decade of therapy, I’m finally coming free of its mental clutches. It rules by fear, the institution long has protected predators, it thrives on money, and it reeks of corruption. No wonder the metal world legendarily has waged war against this force.
French doom bruisers Maudissez not only are drawing their blades against the Christian sub-genre, they’re taking the fight into the opponent’s home field. The band, whose members remain a mystery, recorded their self-titled debut live in a church in France, seeing the act as a desecration, a devastating shot in their war against a force that has hurt so many. Maudissez, whose name translates to curse, twist nerves and slash veins over these four mammoth tracks, and while they released the music on their own in December, Sentient Ruin is giving it a proper vinyl treatment. It’s a morbid, foreboding display, one that feels like it is trying to spread pestilence to the mouths of every member of its foe.
Opener “fracture par fracture” practically opens in media res battering, dark and crushing howling following, sooty sounds meeting up with spiritual and physical agony. The playing slowly drags itself across a floor covered with broken glass, horrifying decay setting in deep. Terror envelopes as the playing sounds like a dying siren, burying everything in misery. “blessure par blessure” is the longest track at 13:04, a halo of sound surrounding everything, drubbing as inhuman howls scathe. Doomy hulking unloads as the pressure builds, voices warbling under the din, the noise corroding. The playing sprawls as strange speaking haunts, and then static erupts, storming as the voice continues its mysterious message, a hulking haze hovering over and disappearing into a bloody vortex.
“meurtrissure par meurtrissure” cracks open with a hint of melody struggling to live in hell, howls scorching from every angle, pounding as the playing is steely and pressurized. Doomy blackness folds and spill into a puddle of oil, scorching and furious as the attack grows bloody and smeary, ferocious wails laying waste as your senses fry, everything succumbing to piercing sound. Closer “brûlure par brûlure” brings unfurling guitars and blinding rage, vile howls ushering in a beastly dawn, the darkness suffocating. Throaty wails grasp throats as sounds hiss in the fog, echoing from the heat that’s growing too thick to handle. Synth cascades as the sorrow thickens, clashing slowly, letting the machine gradually run out of fuel and leave an blood slick behind.
The distaste for the Catholic regime is palpable, and relatable as far as we’re concerned, and Maudissez turn their vitriol into a slowly meted-out bloodbath on their gargantuan self-titled debut offering. This is an unforgiving, hopelessly bleak display of doom that’s here to maim and refuse to give mercy. And after all the pain and evil the church has left in its 2,000-year campaign of control, it’s a comeuppance that is rightly earned.
For more on the band, go here: https://maudissez.bandcamp.com/album/maudissez
To buy the album, go here: https://sentientruin.com/releases/maudissez-maudissez
For more on the label, go here: https://sentientruin.com/
Meat Mead Metal 