If there’s one thing I’m very grateful for when it comes to Black Metal (and Extreme Metal in a wider context of band discovery and being able to listen to albums in their entirety) it’s a nuanced feeling of fleshing out a whole scene for a particular country.
For instance, Norwegian Black Metal is perhaps the most infamous, and rightly so, and with the wealth of bands hailing from there, they have diversified their own scene, as has Sweden, Finland, Greece and more.
Even mainland France has some stellar bands within the Black Metal pantheon who each bring something unique to the table, making their scene stand out, and so with many bands from French-speaking provinces in Canada within the realm of Black Metal churning out some superb offerings, this feeling is even more nuanced and resonant for me.
Case in point, when I discovered today’s subject, Quebec’s own Valdrague, who, in 2025, surprised me with a stellar opus called “Orphelins De L’Acadie”; a seven-track offering that combined Melodic Black Metal, folk influences and more than a hint of melody that made it an album I would go back to out of sheer interest and intrigue.
I will freely admit that I was intrigued by the fact that their logo was clean and simple, legible and without any pretense. Fast forward a year, and Valdrague (a one-man project) would surprise me once more with an excellent album that I again had to have repeated listens of, much like their 2025 album.
Tracks like ‘Providence’, ‘Les Vents De L’Enfer’ and the title track would remain with me after listening, due to the catchiness, excellent drumming and tight guitar work, which, coupled with the snarled vocals and brilliant production, made them stand out to me in a big way.
This would also be the case for the final two tracks as well, with ‘Pays Sauvage’ being a highlight, even with the track fade-out (which is the same for the album closer as well).
The folk elements would play a part in the album too, specifically at the start of the instrumental interlude ‘Le Jardinier Du Couvent’, with the album as a whole truly shining when played in its entirety.
While I would never deign to rank or compare this effort against their 2025 offering, it remains to be seen that Valdrague have honed in on a sound, a vibe and a focus for their Québécois Black Metal.
Sure enough, it’s only around half an hour as a listen, but it comes highly recommended for fans of Melodic Black Metal and can appreciate the likes of Canadian Black Metal with French influences such as Délétère, Ethyl and Boréalys, amongst others.
