Band:	Délétère
Album:	Songes D'une Nuit Souillée
Style:	Black metal
Release date:	November 2023

01. Chasse Obscène
02. Sacre De La Perversion
03. Foutredieu
04. Messe Scandaleuse
05. Sonata Impudicitiae
06. Lex Syphilii
07. Le Labour Des Chairs
08. La Nuit Souillée

You might be familiar with the notoriously blasphemous metal noir Québécois (Quebec black metal scene), but are you familiar with the band Délétère? Well, here's a chance to experience an unholy black metal ritual like never before.

Canada's reputation in black metal has been steadily growing in recent years, with the likes of Panzerfaust, Gris, and Spectral Wound amongst the country's best known acts. However, there is another dark and sinister scene that emerged from the city of Quebec, a scene whose style is deeply rooted in the unholy traditional Scandinavian trve kvlt ways. Renowned acts that originated from this scene include Forteresse, Monarque, and Crépuscule, and joining these names back in 2009 was a band that may have passed many fans of the extreme genre by: Délétère.

The band's current line-up is a staggering sextet featuring the two founding members Thorleïf (vocals/keyboards) and Atheos (guitars/bass), as well as Kaedes (drums), Anhidar (guitars), Glauque (guitars) and newest addition Matrak (guitars), who joined in 2020. This latest offering, Songues D'une Nuit Souillée, is the band's third full-length release to date, following 2015 debut Les Heures De La Peste and 2018 sophomore De Horae Leprae. Containing a total of eight tracks running for a reasonable forty-two minutes, how does this release compare with the band's previous efforts, and those of the Quebec black metal scene as a whole?

The album begins with the opening track "Chassé Obscène"; within moments, listeners are hit by dark, eerie synths, rapid blast beats, sharp black metal tremolos, and classic blackened shrieks, all of which underpin the album from beginning to end. As the rhythm steadily evolves across this first song, Délétère introduce crust punk grooves, eerie occult-like background chants, and a demonic performance from Thorleïf's torturous blackened shrieks and growls. What's most striking is the powerful guitar tone, and how strong of a presence the guitar work has in the mix; the synths also have a constant presence, and create a perfectly haunting backdrop for the album's soundscape.

On second song "Sacre De La Perversion", the album's longest at over 7 minutes, the riffs are noticeably more melodic than on the opener; however, the chants become all the more sinister, and the harsh vocals growl ever deeper. There's chilling moments throughout this track that will surely send shivers down the listener's spine, from the creepy sound of a church organ, to occult-like ritualistic choirs, and the instrumentation gives a real sinister, cold, grim touch in the purest form of traditional black metal.

Subsequent songs maintain the style of the opening pair, but from here things only get more sinister. "Messe Scandaleuse" begins with the sound of eerie church bells and occultist chanting once again; the drumming on this track particularly stands out for its thundering toms, which reminds me of Hellhammer and his early days with Mayhem. The intertwining guitars also stands out, particularly towards the end where the leads and riffs take an unexpected groovy turn. Following this is "Sonata Impudicitiae", which is effectively a soft piano piece that intensifies as it progresses; however, it is debatable whether it truly fits within the album's structure.

The final songs maintain the use of those striking thundering toms and hypnotizing blackened tremolos, alongside more upbeat groovy punkish riffs. The final track "La Nuit Souillée" approaches things in a relatively distinct manner; it begins with a much slower tempo and rhythm that gradually escalates, and the drumming here offers a more stylistic rhythm rather than the usual blast-beats, while the tremolos add much more groove as opposed to the repetitive and hypnotic, cold melodies that dominatee the album. There's even a section where the chants feel as if a genuine ritual may be taking place, finishing the album off as sinisterly and demonically as possible.

Overall, D'une Nuit Souillée offers everything you'd expect for in black metal; there's nothing that will blow your mind in terms of originality, but it sure as hell is a solid all-round effort, with some great performances, especially in the vocal department. It will perhaps be remembered more for its hauntingly authentic synth work more than its instrumentation, but it's definitely not worth missing if you're in the mood for some traditional black metal from the modern Quebecois scene.