Ergot de seigle is French for Rye ergot, a poisonous fungus. It’s responsible for ergotism, in particular lysergic acid from which LSD is derived. I have no idea, whether the relatively unknown Black Metal act ERGOT DE SEIGLE from France took their naming inspiration from this. However, they play Black Metal with intent and astuteness. Spearheaded by the mysterious Nobu J. who takes care of everything for the project, has so far released two quick-fire demos independently past year in digital formats. Both demos hint at Nobu J’s fascination for raw Black Metal with dark ambient and dungeon synth which was surely intended to transport listeners to a medieval world of hidden terrors leading to darkness and madness. This debut album seems like following the paths led by the demos. The album is fast and feral with a raw and savage style of Black Metal in the fuming vocals. The guitars and drums go at breakneck speed with synth blends in very sparse and cold tones. The first four tracks ‘Crépuscule Sur Un Village Abandonné’ (Twilight Over An Abandoned Village), ‘L’Orient Pour Tombeau’ (The Orient For Tomb), ‘Supplices De La Prison Souterraine’ (Torments Of The Underground Prison) and ‘Pastorale’ are frenzied songs with dreary melodies and medieval synths that can sometimes feel delirious. The track’s names and their loose translation give hints beforehand of what’s awaiting. The singing is grumpy and raspy and has a muffled tone beneath the otherwise clear tremolo guitars. The percussion tends to be low in the mix and sometimes has a shuffling sound. The following ‘Cryptes Légendaires’ (Legendary Crypts) will slow down the journey a bit with possessing piano and agonizing vocals. Then ‘Le Pâle Effroi’ (The Pale Dread) is continuous like a flow and ‘Intermède’ (Interlude) offers a short but reflective instrumental. It leads to a very infiltrating ‘Au Gibet De Montfaucon’ (At The Gibet De Montfaucon) which tells about the gallows and gibbet of the kings of France. This was used to execute criminals, often traitors, by hanging and to display their dead bodies as a warning to the population. Surprisingly, it gives away the exact feelings of revisiting that accursed gallows and Nobu J’s pinned it with violent Black Metal in DARKTHRONE and SATYRICON flare. The final two closures of the record, ‘Dans Les Forêts D’Ergot’ (In The Ergot Forests) and ‘Le Champignon Pousse Sur Sa Face Pourrie’ (The Mushroom Grows On Its Rotten Face) might give some indications again on Nobu J’s fascination and exploration on this course. Here, like a culmination, the music slows down a bit and becomes more melodic and Folk like but remains as suffocating and sickly as ever. The backing piano and synthesizer give the tracks a forlorn air as the guitar dives down further into the murky blackness. Though the record is almost forty-three minutes long, it does have the strengths and atmosphere to keep listeners unnoticed as time goes by. And, this certainly makes ERGOT DE SEIGLE’s debut full-length “Dans Les Forêts D’Ergot” a very definite chance to be liked by all the followers and fanatics alike in the Black Metal genre which nowadays almost diluted by trendy flukes and plastic modern production. This record is now available for your experience in digital and cassette format, and a limited edition recycled cassette version with laser print Jcard + patch (7cm) as a personal edition from Ergot de seigle (10 copies) can be availed before being finished. To find out more about this record and label, visit https://ergotdeseigle.bandcamp.com, http://misanthrophia-discos.blogspot.de.