Band:	Enterré Vivant
Album:	四元素 (Shigenso)
Style:	Atmospheric black metal
Release date:	September 2023

01. 風 (Le Vent)
02. 火 (Le Feu)
03. 水 (L'eau)
04. 土 (La Terre)

A melancholic, atmospheric journey told in four acts and two languages.

Enterré Vivant ("buried alive" in French) are a duo who mix French and Japanese influences in their music. Whether it's cover art reminiscent of old Japanese paintings, multilingual lyrics, song titles alternating in French and Japanese, or oriental-sounding ambience, Enterré Vivant organically blend these two cultures in an intriguing and quite unique way. France and Japan might be on opposite ends of the globe, yet who knew that they could work so well together through the medium of atmospheric black metal?

In fact, this multicultural project reminded me of Vitriolic Sage, a one-man band from China that mixes French and Chinese lyrics and song titles. The similarities don't end there, as both create atmospheric black metal soaked in heavy amounts of melancholy, juxtaposed by the anguished cries of the vocalist.

Enterré Vivant's sophomore LP Shigenso is a concept album. "Shigenso", after all, means "four elements" in Japanese. Correspondingly, the album is divided into four tracks, each more than ten minutes in length, titled "The Air'', "The Fire'', "The Water'', and "The Earth'' — all in French/Japanese, of course. They've chosen a similar approach before with their 2021 EP called Shiki ("four seasons" in Japanese), which, funnily enough, came out one year before Sigh's 2022 album of the same name.

The lyrics of each song address each of the four elements, and each track begins with a short audio sample of that element, whether it be a crackling fire or a roaring waterfall. However, I don't find that the musical style really reflects its respective title. The instrumentation on "Le Feu" doesn't necessarily sound more fiery than "L'Eau", for instance. With the foreknowledge of the song titles, one might convince oneself that "Le Vent" sounds wild and free like a blowing wind, whereas the section 11-and-a-half minutes into "L'Eau" sounds like a meandering river. But, to be honest, one would be hard put to identify the theme of the song based on the instrumentation alone. I find this is quite the missed opportunity, as it would've been interesting to see a musical development with major shifts in style as the album progresses. Instead, the four songs sound rather too similar for my liking.

Still, that doesn't mean that the individual songs aren't enjoyable. In addition to classic black metal tremolo-picking, Enterré Vivant use calming yet somewhat haunting flute tunes, gong strikes, and mournful piano playing. Together with mesmerizing synth-work, the instrumentation expertly crafts a slow,
solemn atmosphere that lulls the listener into a sensation of tranquility. What keeps you wide awake, however, is the equally impressive vocal performance. With demonic moans, eerie shrieks, croaky growls, and craggly rasps on display, the talented vocals provide an entertaining contrast to the soothing musicianship.

Overall, the excellent production sound emphasizes the immersive quality of the music — perhaps an unsurprising result given that the mastering of the album was performed by the experienced one-man ambient metal machine Déhà.

In conclusion, Enterré Vivant offer an enjoyable atmospheric black metal experience based around a unique multicultural concept. While the songwriting could be more engaging and nuanced, one can't deny that the duo check all the boxes in the originality, performance, and production categories.