Vide - Aux enfantes des ruines

Vide is a black metal band from France who formed in 2022.  Their latest release, “Aux enfantes des ruines,” is their debut full-length album, after previously releasing three EPS. 

The French black metal scene is really special because every band seems so unique and does their own thing within the genre.  Vide’s debut album is quite impressive because it’s atmospheric but embraces a raw foundation, effectively melding the two into a song that’s engaging yet ethereal.  

The meat of the album is the four longer songs, which comprise over 40 minutes of sprawling soundscapes that can go from a hurricane to a gentle wind.  The other three sons are shorter instrumentals that are perfectly placed to optimize flow.  These three songs are done well and work very well in the overall structure of the album. 

The first of these instrumentals is the title track and it features keyboards that are filled with both sorrow and serenity.  The children’s choir is surprisingly done well—I usually can’t stand the use of children in a choir, but the band pulls it off here. 

The first proper full song is “Hymne au vide,” and it takes over the delicate, clean tones from the intro song and pulls them into a vacuum of cold melancholy.  The choir returns as the song builds up into raw guitars and blackened growls.  The first minute of this sounds amazing–it sort of fades into existence, as if my ears were transcending into a different plane of reality.  The song quickly gets up to full speed from there, the riffs taking over from the choir while the vocals slithering their way past the notes.  It’s arresting and melodic, embracing a despondent sound but with black metal’s classic abrasiveness.  

The next song, “Nourrir la haine,” is a bit more straightforward in the beginning, with the riffs and keys hitting immediately.  This song has a great flow to it, almost seems like it is growing into a better version of itself as the seconds pass by.  I like the speed of this one–not too fast but definitely energetic enough to offset the softer keys.  The middle portion is regal with spoken word that’s followed by two huge passages, one of which is atmospheric and the other being blackened fury.   The second half of the song is brutal, especially the tone of the riffs and growls. This is a highly atmospheric album, even floaty in some places, but it can bring down the hammer when needed.

“Messe des ruines–L’appel aux loups,” seems light but it has an underbelly that I found to be quite dim and profane.  This song makes for a perfect bridge between the previous song and the next one, “Messe des ruines–Le Refuge.” 

This is a massive 12-minute-long song that spends the first five minutes pouring on the black metal side of the band, but my favorite part is what arrives after.  The following passage is a solemn retreat into the unknown haze of fog, complete with ominous riffs and nasty vocals.  The tempo steadily builds back up before dropping off into an atmospheric piece that feels like the aftermath of destruction. 

“Messe des ruines—Testament,” is, in places, the most violent song on the album.  But its mood swings kept the themes of the album in places.  All the elements that make the album great are presented here. After a long section filled with more choir and melodic bass, the hellish speed returns like a hurricane, raging hard until the song winds down with deep, clean tones.

The final song, “Messe des ruines—Passage,” ends the song with a similar atmosphere of the opening one so the entire album comes full circle, feeling very much complete and highly stated.

Vide’s “Aux enfantes des ruines,” is an incredible atmo black album and one of the best of the style I’ve heard in the first half of the year.  Highly recommended. 

Rating: Excellent