Originally written by K. Scott Ross.
What makes a band? Is it the musicians in it, or the music that they play? Obviously, the most complete answer is “both,” but where does the balance lie? Such a question becomes more than a mere academic exercise when bands replace significant members (see Slayer for the most recent high profile example), but it’s also relevant when members of one band decide to form another…or maybe more than one.
Consider the case of Antaeus and Aosoth. Both bands share the same frontman (MkM), and a number of the same musicians. BST does a bit of everything in Aosoth, but he also plays guitars for Antaeus in a live situation. INRVI plays bass in Aosoth full time, but also plays bass in Antaeus live. A fellow named Saroth plays live guitars in both bands. The drummer Blastum plays live drums for Antaeus, but used to play drums full time with Aosoth, and Antaeus guitarist Set also used to play in Aosoth. Seem confusing enough yet? Well, BST, Blastum, and INRVI have yet another band, and it’s called VI.
VI released an EP in 2008 and a split with Aosoth in 2010, but De Praestigiis Angelorum is their first full length release. Still, the members have obviously been playing in bands together for quite some time, and it shows. De Praestigiis Angelorum doesn’t feel like a debut album. The balance between the band members is tight and deliberate. It’s worth stating that in this band, BST plays bass guitar, and INRVI plays guitars, so it’s a switch from their roles in Aosoth and Antaeus. Blastum plays the drums (if you couldn’t guess) and INRVI sings in this band.
Since it features layers of guitars, De Praestigiis Angelorum doesn’t sound like a trio any more than does Aosoth (or Antaeus sounds like a duo, for that matter). I’m sure if they were to perform live, one of their other band members would be happy to help them out. But how does VI’s sound compare to those other two bands? There are definite similarities, and a listener familiar with the other bands should be able to tell that these are the same musicians. They fold guitar melodies in on each other in a similar way to Aosoth (try particularly the fifth song, “Une place parmi les morts”), and the bass is lively and present like in both bands.
In a lot of aspects, though, VI is more traditional than the other two bands. They lack the extreme heft that Aosoth produces using seven-string guitars, nor do they venture into the more industrial waters stirred by Antaeus. They do play extremely fast, and that speed and higher guitar tone give the impression of a light touch. It seems odd to call ripping blast beats and tremolo riffs delicate, but that’s the word that comes to mind. Fourth track, “Regarde tes cadavres car il ne te permettra pas qu’on les enterre” demonstrates this particularly well as it shifts between full-speed moments to lighter arpeggios to a strange orchestral break and then back into full-speed fury. And yes, all the song names are like that. Apparently, this is something the band is known for. Since I don’t speak French, however, the message of both the song titles and the lyrics is completely lost on me. One assumes it has something to do with Satan.
De Praestigiis Angelorum clocks in at only forty-five minutes, making it a significantly quicker listen than Aosoth’s IV: Arrow In Heart, so if you perhaps felt that album stayed too long (you’re crazy if so), you’ll perhaps find this one more to your tastes. From song to song, the album and the band feel extremely fast. Where Antaeus uses speed as a lash in between burbling noise, and Aosoth uses it as a bludgeon in between deep tar, it seems to just be the default state for VI. Speed aside, though, the band is committed to melody, and those melodies are what sticks in the mind, even if the song titles don’t. VI’s De Praestigiis Angelorum is a premier example of the current French school of black metal, and will be enjoyed by any fans of the genre. But if you’re already an Aosoth or Antaeus fan, De Praestigiis Angelorum becomes essential listening. Who knows? It might even become your new favorite.
