Baume – Les Années Décapitées (Review)

Baume is a one man black metal band from France. This is his debut EP.

Here we have a very expressive and instantly enthralling black metal release. Experimenting with sounds, textures, and atmospheres, the songs on Les Années Décapitées are well-written and extremely enjoyable.

This is music that’s thoroughly immersive. It’s easy to get lost in Braume’s music. The songs sprawl and breathe into infinite space, expanding to fill their self-created universe with ease. Despite the very crisp, natural, and artistic album cover, (which I have fallen in love with), I can’t help but get cosmic, spacefaring vibes from Les Années Décapitées.

One of my favourite aspects of this release is the use of spectral, esoteric melodies. These have a post-metal resplendence to them and are highly emotive. They fill me with feelings of wondrous splendour, and almost make it feel like anything is possible if only you could travel far enough out into the dark unknown. Who knows, maybe it is?

In addition to the splendid use of melody, the artist behind this project has a keen ear for a mind-bending riff too. The songs are so very well-constructed that from the very start of Les Années Décapitées to the very end, I’m completely captivated.

I’m a huge fan of atmospheric black metal when it’s well-crafted, and Les Années Décapitées is shockingly high quality, especially for a debut release. Put simply, you absolutely must check this out.