During the last years I learned that France has a very vivid and interesting scene when it comes to Post Black Metal, Blackgaze and dark stuff in general. Aside from outstanding acts like PARAMNESIA or ALCEST, there are a lot of acts that put out some more or less fine releases, and most of them are not broadly recognized yet. One of these new acts is HEIR from Toulouse who found a home at the pioneering label Les Acteurs De L’Ombre for their first album. And “Au Peuple De L’Abîme” is a very promising debut, that should touch a lot of people who are fascinated by darkness, melancholy and the abysses of human existence. HEIR start off in rawest Black Metal style, but in the long run, ‘Au Siècle Des Siècles’ offers a lot of twists and turns from some moments that remind of VOIVOD to slow breaks and a quiet and gloomy interlude. With a similarly furious start after a short intro piece, ‘L’Heure D’Helios’ begins a journey through chasms of darkness. This nine minute ride through gloominess and rage is really fascinating, offering hints on Doom and even Sludge. ‘Meltem’ turns out to be a similar trip, with a nearly blackgazing end. With ‘L’Âme Des Foules’, HEIR are quite close to pleasing traditional Black Metal listeners, yet this one is also shot through with some gloomy breaks as a counterbalance to the dominating fury. The last of the five very long songs on “Au Peuple De L’Abîme” is called ‘Cendres’ and turns out to be a bit less spectacular in the beginning. But after the fine quiet interlude, the final raging part gains a lot of intensity before hypnotic drumming finishes the album. And thus there can only be stated that “Au Peuple De L’Abîme” is one more proof for the recent creative peak in French Metal. May this peak last for a long period of time. To find out more, visit www.facebook.com/heirbm or www.facebook.com/ladloproductions