Country of origin:France

Location:Clermont-Ferrand, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

Status:Active

Formed in:2001

Genre:Atmospheric/Progressive Black Metal

Lyrical themes:Darkness, Religion, Suffering

Current label:Archaic Sound

Years active:2001-present

Before the first sounds are coming out of your speakers you could notice some little hints, that the songs of Ars Moriendi really could be worthwhile. First of all, the man behind the project has released six demos and one full length which should indicate that he knows what he is doing, and secondly he originates from one of the high class black metal countries these days: France. Although there are only five songs on Du Tréfonds D’un Être, the total playing time exceeds fifty minutes which is quite good and makes an average playing time of ten minutes per song.

All begins with an ambiental intro which offers some samples of rataplan of hooves and calm guitar melodies, which should lead into the record. The intro is no individual track though, as it is bundled with the first song. The transition between the intro and the song is rather hard, but well done as it isn’t disturbing at all. After some minutes of heavy guitar sounds, done in mid-tempo, there is a long synthesizer interlude which is accentuated with bass sounds and choral chants. This structure goes back to the main part and vice versa until the song ends. Although the tracks are quite long, they are offering matured song structures, melodies and of course variation. The transitions between the fast and hard passages and the melancholic interludes with synthesizer sounds are well done on the whole record, although some are quite sudden.

The third song, namely Entre les deux Royaumes, is one exceptional track on this record, as the synthesizer are calling the tune and the whole track is a lot slower than the rest of the record. The other instruments are accentuating, so there are calm guitar melodies right up to dense layers of sound, but the song seems to be more trip-hop than black metal like .netra/Ekove Efrits. The vocals are mostly spoken/whispered and growls are seldomly sawn. Another exceptional track may be the title one, as it is held in lounge/trip hop style, but without the overmighty synthesizer sounds. In terms of sound the whole record orientates itself a bit by the debut of Cebren-Khal, which surely speaks for itself, though.

As mentioned before, the structure of the songs is well done and the tracks aren’t boring at all, although there are three tracks that exceed the twelve minutes playing time (!). In terms of composition you can’t really complain though, as all-round entertainer Arsonist is quite skilled. Solely, the drums could have been a bit more varied, as the beats are repeating themselves quite often. The production is transparent, as you can hear every single instrument, even if the guitars are playing a solo. The only flaw here are some ups and downs in terms of volume between and within the tracks.

Conclusion:

I really was stunned as I read, that the whole record was penned by one and the same person. There is pure power, which collides with awesome melancholic parts and everything is perfectly melted together. The record offers a lot of variation and entertains over the whole playing time, especially as the songs are so varied as Entre les deux Royaumes and Du Tréfonds D’un Être. The only flaws are the sparse drum beats and the ups and downs in terms of volume between the tracks. Another gread record originating from France!

Originally written for http://threnodies.com

France has the strongest black metal scene of any country in the world today. I've felt that way for a long time now, and recent discoveries have only seen fit to reinforce that impression. While I don't think anyone expects much when they come across another one-man BM project for the first time, there was clearly something about Ars Moriendi that indicated to me that multi-instrumentalist Arsonist was operating on a higher level than most. It is painfully easy for atmospheric black metal musicians to get lazy with ambiance and repetition. Here, the music achieves the common ends of atmospheric black metal with ever-dynamic composition and a dark heart of melody.

In that sense, Ars Moriendi bears a great deal in common with Imperium Dekadenz, another fantastic band I discovered under similar conditions. Even though Arsonist's compositions are progressive and often lengthy, there's never a moment far removed from a well-written hook. I think this is what separates La singulière noirceur d'un astre from so many other atmospheric black metal albums I've heard. What is a sense of scope, after all, without a dynamic structure to justify it?

Although Ars Moriendi hasn't received as much attention as it's deserved over the past 15 years or so, Arsonist hasn't stopped with honing his craft. 2014's La singulière noirceur d'un astre is his latest record to date at the time of writing this, and though all of its parts are familiar from other bands-- the electronic interruptions, Gregorian samples, dreary melodies and core BM facets among them-- it doesn't sound contrived the way they come together in the music. A lot of the strength in the songwriting here relies on the way he's able to create and layer melody on the guitar. Somewhat like his legendary compatriots in Amesoeurs, Arsonist lines up sweeping atmospheric sections against punchier riffs. The contrast between the two helps to ensure that the formula remains engaging.

La singulière noirceur d'un astre's earthy production took a while to adjust to, but I think the clarity it brings to Ars Moriendi's music is more of a plus than a fault. The bassy rhythm guitars make a solid counterbalance to the airier leads. Most important of all, the relative crispness of the album's sound makes Ars Moriendi's trips between genres feel fluid. The most prevalent (and surprising) of these stylistic breaks is the descent into trip-hop Arsonist takes on "De ma dague...". Where other parts of the album sound as if they're conjuring the ancient past (see: the bellowing chants on the last two tracks) "De ma dague..." manages to sound incredibly urbane with a chilled beat and bass line, all despite the deranged screams atop. I was quickly reminded of Mayhem's own trip-hop excursion on Grand Declaration of War's "A Broadsword and a Colder Sun." Unlike that however, the genremixing feels completely organic.

Ars Moriendi might not push its ingredients further than we've seen from some other bands in the past; Arsonist nonetheless paints himself as an expert fort he way he's combined an ambitiously progressive palette together without falling into the common shortfalls faced by many similar projects. For what it's worth, La singulière noirceur d'un astre sounds like the work of a band that deserves far more attention than it's received thus far. Hopefully that's something that changes for Ars Moriendi in the future.