Délétère – Songes d’une Nuit Souillée (Review)

This is the third album from Canadian black metallers Délétère.

Songes d’une Nuit Souillée contains 43 minutes of black metal played with passion and skill. It takes a traditional black metal base and puts an individual spin on it.

I’ve heard Délétère before, but only in passing, and this is my first encounter with one of their albums. I have to say I’m impressed. The band clearly know what they’re doing with their dark art, and Songes d’une Nuit Souillée provides a comprehensive listening experience for hardened fans of black metal darkness.

Délétère channel blistering hostility, yet also have an epic streak. They create atmospheric vistas for the listener to explore, while also assaulting them with grim blackened fury. The band make good use of melody throughout to add colour to the music’s aggressive core. The melodies are used to add atmosphere as well as providing hooks, and are one of the many reasons why Songes d’une Nuit Souillée is as effective as it is.

Multiple guitarists contribute to the depth of these songs, helping to make them as engaging and as textured as they are. Spectral keyboards enrich the music with eerie sounds and layers of mood. In places, mixed with the rest of the music, there is a sense of drama that arises quite holistically. This adds yet another aspect to the music when it appears, one that’s well-judged.

The main vocals are charismatic and have great presence. The singer’s performance is first-rate, and his daemonic utterances are nasty, yet well-considered. Also, there are choirs that are well-placed and satisfying, further enhancing the occult feel that much of the music has.

Songes d’une Nuit Souillée is really, really good. The music has personality and is bolstered by creative ideas and detailed sounds that make listening to it a joy. Délétère have placed themselves firmly on my radar, and I can’t wait to get to know this album more and more over time.

Very highly recommended.