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It is with great pleasure that I, Voidhanger Records welcomes SMOHALLA, an extraordinary French band focused on progressive and avant-garde black metal, to its ranks. Absent from the scene for a long time (their last output, a split with Tellur, dates back to 2013), in 2018 SMOHALLA streamed the single “Varon” teasing a new album, later postponed to make way for the releases of the prolific electronic project FIXIONS, another alter ego of multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Slo. The wait has been worth it, however: the band’s new release since 12 years, “Ruina Draconis” is undoubtedly the most imaginative, creative and visionary album from the band, which in addition to Slo features faithful bassist Camille Giraudeau (DREAMS OF THE DROWNED, DHG).
SMOHALLA’s avant-garde black metal is overwhelming, rich in nuances, tempo shifts, and atmospherics. The arrangements are extremely layered; the structures, complex yet consistently coherent, serve a songwriting that masterfully interweaves epic dark melodies, nocturnal ambient/electronic interludes, and unstoppable explosions of metal violence, while Slo’s vocal performance alternates between beastly screams and dreamy vocalizations.
The cosmic and hypnotic grandeur of “Ruina Draconis” is a religious experience that revives the great avant-black tradition of masters ARCTURUS and VED BUENS ENDE, to which SMOHALLA have nothing to envy.
FFO: Arcturus, Ved Buens Ende, Ulver, Solefald
