The first thing that came to my mind when I opened the tap was, “Wow, this sounds like something to me.” And of course it did. VENDANGES sounded like something to me. It brought an old air, with the smell of the first Metal records that we all once had in our hands. You will understand me. But I had to keep listening. No getting carried away by first impressions. That first moment of the amplifier sound. Those two drumstick hits marking the beginning. Something that right from the start puts one in front of a band that wants to sound organic. Natural. Yes, with every second I was confirming it. VENDANGES is a one-man band project from France born this 2026 and it is developed by “Espoir”. To me, it is one of the most exquisite musical projects I have heard this year. And yes, of course I found the inevitable correlations: BATHORY and BURZUM. VENDANGES can perfectly fit into that category where we could come to put bands like BATHORY and BURZUM. In fact, I dare say it could be one of the bands called to represent that line of iconic Black Metal bands conceived as a single musician’s project. And it is not just the format or the concept, VENDANGES takes the next step. Taking the Black Metal that BATHORY or BURZUM made to an even higher instance. Because it introduces a series of elements already deeply rooted in the style but mixes it with its own genuine things. I find that balance that “Espoir” made extremely pleasant. Dynamic, complex music, attached to reminiscences, but at the same time adhering to its own rhythm, its own rage, its own melancholy. ‘Ils Ne Reconnaissent Plus Rien’ reminded me of ‘A Fine Day To Die’ by BATHORY. And no, I do not have the slightest problem with that. In fact, I really like bands that put their influences on the table without shame. If I had a band, it would sound (with complete certainty) like “Defenders Of The Faith” by JUDAS PRIEST, “Show No Mercy” by SLAYER or “Odori Sepulcrorum” by GRAVE MIASMA. And I would not feel ashamed of it. Well then, something like that happened to me with VENDANGES and this album called “La Danse Du Souvenir”. I had forgotten to mention the album. And I liked very much that it is a very dynamic album, as I said before, it occupies the entire sonic spectrum of emotions. It has strong nuances of Folk, paganism, atmospheric sounds, contrasts in the passages more dominated by guitars and synthesizers in the intros. “La Danse Du Souvenir” is, in essence, a very well thought-out, very well-built album. It shows that it was first in “Espoir”’s head and that he then crystallized it. I like that the album journeys through a great spectrum of our emotionality. It is not a flat album. Equidistant. And I like that very much. And I love that cold, agonizing melancholy that envelops it. I loved the end of the album: ‘Rentrons, Il Se Fait Tard’, a song that will close adding that long dungeon synth, will definitely match the whole concept of the album and will increase the internal logic of the band. This has been, without a doubt, one of the best Metal works I have heard in recent times, without any doubt. Here is more information: https://vendanges.bandcamp.com, www.instagram.com/vendangesblackmetal