“You are more beautiful than the night.“
In 1870, Isidore Lucien Ducasse died in a hotel room in Paris. Besieged by Prussian forces, the siege would end with an embarrassing French surrender after four months. Ducasse‘s body was then moved to its final resting place with cause of death as “bad fever”. Though largely unknown during his life, he later gained fame for a work he published at age 22. Les Chants de Maldoror, his narrative prose poem, proved greatly influential to the Surrealism scene.
In 2017, Swiss black metal band Schammasch took up the mantle of exploring this work with EP The Maldoror Chants: Hermaphrodite. Released the year after their opus Triangle, the band scaled down and explored new territory. Now, five years after the stand-alone Hearts of No Light, they return to the misanthropic Maldoror once again in The Maldoror Chants: Old Ocean.
Opener “Crystal Waves” features the first dive into the depths. Appropriately, it builds slowly, ahead of the breaking of ocean waves. Vocalist Chris S.R. breaks his silence with a chant after the two minute mark, a warning of the dangers ahead. Soon, it’s nearly swallowed up by rising guitar riffs and drums getting louder. Then, the instrumentation quiets again, swelling now beneath clean vocals. This push and pull, not unlike waves of the ocean, becomes a motif across both this track and the album overall.
After an interlude in “A Somber Mystery”, the following “Your Waters Are Bitter” begins at a higher level. The lead riff floats dead center of frame behind Chris S.R.‘s snarled vocals. When it breaks into the deep cleans, it doesn’t work quite as well, but the track does maintain its momentum. The twisting lead guitar helps to maintain buoyancy throughout across its phrases.
“You cannot enter here,
Your lack of resilience disqualified you.
You cannot enter here,
Let this be your eternal reminder.“
First single “They Have Found Their Master” comes at the album’s midpoint. It mirrors the opener’s long build up, but with greater desperation punctuated by gasps of breath. It breaks through more quickly as well, equipped with a message: “mankind does not have permission to enter.” This refrain helps set an ominous tone – again signaling in the inherent dangers in the ocean. The second half features the most most “traditional” black metal passage with signature driving guitar and pummeling drums.
“Answer me, Ocean, do you want to be my brother?
Answer me, Ocean, do you want to be my sister?
Answer me, Ocean, do you want to be my father?
Answer me, Ocean, do you want to be my mother?“
This segment segues into the most single-ready track in “Image of the Infinite”. Kathrine Shepard of Sylvaine acts as the bridge between them, closing out the previous and again appearing here. Chris S.R.‘s best vocals on the album start the track off ahead of clean, spacious instrumentation. This acts as the rest stop, treading water before one final dive. Shepard sounds excellent as well, providing both backing and lead vocals beckoning the Ocean for answers.
Closer “I Hail You, Old Ocean” opens with driving leads to signal the increasing pace, though more symphonically this time around. The tempo continues to quicken, the urgency picking up as the drums beat faster. It makes for a proper climax, both thematically as well as sonically, as it closes with the repeated proclamation: “I hail you, old Ocean.”
While lacking the scope of Triangle, The Maldoror Chants: Old Ocean nails its intended depth. Here, Schammasch demonstrate greater focus of vision and image. The black metal base proves easily malleable for the band, allowing them to explore each corner and maintaining an approachable package.
8.5/10
Schammasch – The Maldoror Chants: Old Ocean comes out this Friday, October 25th on Prosthetic Records with pre-orders here.