Despite being formed at the beginning of this century, Sigillum Diabolicum are not exactly the most productive outfit from West-European soil. Around the same time as the split with Pestiferum and Luci Tristis (Frozen Ruins Productions, 2010), French act Sigillum Diabolicum also released their debut album Chroniques De L’Infamie (Thor’s Hammer Productions), followed in early Spring 2014 by the sophomore full length, Monothéisme: Le Grand Culte Mortifère (Hass Weg Productions). Almost five years we had to wait for the newest album, but finally it happened: Ordo Repugnant: Les Maux Du Monde Moderne is a fact.
Once again released via the great Hass Weg Productions label, Ordo Repugnant: Les Maux Du Monde Moderne stands for another radical recording, created once more by Lkt (batterie, hurlements, pamphlets blasphématoires), Vk (basse) and Brk (guitars, vociférations, diatribes hérétiques, mixage). The five hundred compact discs come with an eight-page booklet, including quite explicit, cynical and confronting artwork, and the well-thought French lyrics about misanthropy, a deep passion for the human kind, and a heretical respect for religion and racial / multi-cultural joy. Ordo Repugnant: Les Maux Du Monde Moderne was recorded at the république universelle, following the nouvel ordre Mondial and all this dedicated à la gloire du grand architecte de l’univers. Ordo ab chao! You’re welcome…
The album opens with a bizarre introduction, mingling diverse sampled voices (actually, I have no idea where they come from) with a well-known fragment from Sergei Prokofiev’s Romeo And Juliet, and some additional percussion (like timpani). But soon Sigillum Diabolicum do what they are good at: terrorizing the listener’s eardrums with their malicious Black Metal assaults.
And that is quite a unique thing, actually. Sigillum Diabolicum do sound, at first listen, like a ‘traditional’, or ‘orthodox’, if you want to, Black Metal band. But their Music(k) comes with so many hidden levels and details. The whole has a certain thrashing execution, enormously melodious in nature. Guitar leads, tremolo riffing and solos create a recognizable identity. There is a huge differentiation in those melodic structures, with fast and even faster excerpts, traditional and rather contemporary chapters, and several structural changes that will keep the listener attentive, yet confused too (which is a positive element in this case!).
The better part is based on the basics of timeless Black Metal with a universal approach. But this band surprises with apart ideas, whether you like it or not. Progressive injections, Thrash-edged elements, punky details, atmospheric passages, semi-acoustic parts and martial excerpts are all part of this sonic experience. And yes, sometimes it might be confusing – or at least surprising. But in the end, especially after several listens, the global impression turns out to be organically well-balanced.
Remarkable are the vocals, which are not ‘alike’. No ‘usual’ blackened screams here, but rather grim howls, conjuring throat-puking, wretched yelling and frenzy invocation. It is not that unusual within the scene, but for sure it deeply fits to this militant material. It’s like propaganda-proclaiming, you know, spreading a specific message. Mission accomplished!
The mix is of a high quality, for all individual details (both vocally and instrumentally) appear in a perfect equilibrium. The production is very rough, with a remarkable chainsaw-alike guitar sound and sort of an echo within the vocals parts. This too makes Ordo Repugnant: Les Maux Du Monde Moderne sound like an own-faced aural adventure.
No tolerance! Ordo ab chao!
https://hassweg-prod.com/eshop/fr/prods-hass-weg/7735-sigillum-diabolicum-ordo-repugnant-cd.html
https://sigillumdiabolicum.bandcamp.com/album/ordo-repugnant-les-maux-du-monde-moderne
http://www.concreteweb.be/reviews/sigillum-diabolicum