Trépas – Les Ombres Malades

While some of the members of Trépas have dabbled in Black Metal with their other bands, most people will more likely recognize them from their involvement in the Death Metal acts Outre-Tombe and Morgue. Their first take at Black Metal with this particular entity came in 2019 with the release of their debut full-length ‘L’H​é​ritage Du Monde’ on Sepulchral Productions. Their blend of the high pace melody driven Black Metal and a more atmospheric and acoustic based slower parts certainly fit in the sound that a lot of bands in the Québécois scene established over the years. But as with many debuts, it also felt as if they were searching for a way to focus their sound and style. Their return with ‘Les Ombres Malades’ four years later is a great moment to judge how that search has been going.

And to open with a conclusion: the years have been very kind for the direction of Trépas. The latest album sounds a lot more coherent and decisive, cutting unnecessary baggage and focusing more clearly on the things that work. And you can argue it starts with the production. On the debut the drums were somewhat dominant in the mix, and the balance between clean and acoustic guitars and the distorted guitars was a little bit far away. ‘Les Ombres Malades’ was recorded and (I think) produced at Holywaves Studio and while quite a bit cleaner sounding, it is much better balanced. Not only do the drums sound more natural, the mix between the rawer distorted guitar sound and the clean and acoustic guitars blends together beautifully, delicately levitating between fierce raging parts and soothing atmospheric passages. But this is also where the band has progressed in terms of songwriting, as the flow within the songs is much more natural and less forced, and above all more frequently shifting, adding to the creative and adventurous flow of the record. The acoustic and clean guitars are no longer forced in breaks, but instead mostly flow naturally over the rhythms. The vocals also have improved markedly since the debut, sticking more to raspy shrieks and pained cries that are much more intense while casting out the occasional grunts of the debut. With that, any potential overlap with Doom Metal is gone as well, which only benefits the clarity of the direction of the band.

Opener ‘Aliénation’ sets the band off on their improved track straight away, but the newfound equilibrium is even clearer in the title song. ‘Altérité’ is an altogether more epic sounding song and has some great creative drums fills counteracting the clean strumming. But perhaps indicative of the band’s transition is the aptly titled ‘Métamorphose’ that starts with an almost Rock type riff but then alternates urgent riffs with some of the best moody parts and melodies. Those melodies are then matched by the epic closing track ‘L’Astre Noir’ which counts as another impressive feat on the record.

While ‘L’H​é​ritage Du Monde’ was a good debut, Trépas has really stepped up their game with the release of ‘Les Ombres Malades’. Their more coherent and unified blend of raging Black Metal and acoustic and clean atmospheric passages is balanced beautifully on this album. Those that appreciate the Quebec Black Metal scene or atmospheric Black Metal in general would do themselves a favor by giving this one a listen.