Bâ'a - Official Website


Egrégore

France Country of Origin: France

1. Pain
2. Death
3. Love
4. The Spell
5. Burn
6. Hang
7. Sleep
9. Freeze
10. Fall
11. Drown
12. Love, Pt. II
13. Death, Pt. II
1. In Umbra Et Luce
2. Domitor
3. Bellum
4. Fames
5. Obitusque
6. Urbi Et Orbi Clamant


Review by Adam M on September 17, 2019.

Cellar Darling has the female-fronted metal thing down pat. This is a very beautiful, yet dark album that oozes atmosphere. It sounds like a combination of Anneke Van Giersbergen era The Gathering with Madder Mortem and this is a high complement to be comparing them to those bands. The songs definitely have some bite but are very pretty sounding at the same time. It all leads to some of the finest female-fronted metal I’ve heard in some time.

There are many moments on the album that could be considered esoteric, but there are also those that could be considered ordinary and this is why this isn’t the perfect album. It simply isn’t as consistent as something like How to Measure a Planet? even though it really tries to be. The album gets off to a nice start and there is a definite highlight to be found with the title track, but it never really loses steam throughout. It’s just that some moments are more impact full than others and these are often when vocalist Anna Murphy takes center stage. She simply has one of the best voices I’ve heard from a female-led band in quite some time and is allowed to show off many times on this album.

The music is very moody and contains a good deal of instrumentation to back this up as well. All in all, I found this to be a great album that was a little lacking compared to The Gathering’s best material. It’s still a home run for a band led by a venerable female vocalist. It has the right amount of impact at the proper times and brings forth a nice beauty to the metal genre. It isn’t perfect, but this is probably the best female-fronted metal album I’ve heard from this year so far. The Spell definitely gets a solid recommendation.

Rating: 7.7 out of 10

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Review by Adam M on September 17, 2019.

Cellar Darling has the female-fronted metal thing down pat. This is a very beautiful, yet dark album that oozes atmosphere. It sounds like a combination of Anneke Van Giersbergen era The Gathering with Madder Mortem and this is a high complement to be comparing them to those bands. The songs definitely have some bite but are very pretty sounding at the same time. It all leads to some of the finest female-fronted metal I’ve heard in some time.

There are many moments on the album that could be considered esoteric, but there are also those that could be considered ordinary and this is why this isn’t the perfect album. It simply isn’t as consistent as something like How to Measure a Planet? even though it really tries to be. The album gets off to a nice start and there is a definite highlight to be found with the title track, but it never really loses steam throughout. It’s just that some moments are more impact full than others and these are often when vocalist Anna Murphy takes center stage. She simply has one of the best voices I’ve heard from a female-led band in quite some time and is allowed to show off many times on this album.

The music is very moody and contains a good deal of instrumentation to back this up as well. All in all, I found this to be a great album that was a little lacking compared to The Gathering’s best material. It’s still a home run for a band led by a venerable female vocalist. It has the right amount of impact at the proper times and brings forth a nice beauty to the metal genre. It isn’t perfect, but this is probably the best female-fronted metal album I’ve heard from this year so far. The Spell definitely gets a solid recommendation.

Rating: 7.7 out of 10

   1.53k

Review by Felix on August 14, 2022.

I like black metal albums whose first notes immediately create a creepy atmosphere. They give me the good feeling that I am not wasting my time. Egrégore, the second full-length of its creators, belongs to these works. A sinister guitar chord promises despair and depression, but don’t think of whiny suicidal crap. 'In Umbra et Luce' does not neglect a dense brutality and the gapless production radiates a disturbing horror. It may be that the semi-legendary Nehёma are an influence for Bâ'a, for example at the beginning of the cold and vehement 'Domitor'. In any case, the icy high-speed episodes remind me of the old masters from Chambéry.

Nevertheless, just like any other French black metal band, Bâ'a do not present slavish imitations. Rather true is that they have an enormous portion of individuality. The general approach focuses on cruelty, inter alia because of the insane tempo, the intense guitars and the mostly distorted voice. Yet there are also moments of tranquillity where the fragile-sounding French language provides a contrast. Either way, the outbursts of raging misanthropy characterize the six songs of this album and even the less tumultuous sections are free from any signs of hope. The very well staged beginning of the slowly crawling 'Fames' provides evidence and opens the gates to a dimension of total hopelessness.

Bâ'a don’t do many mistakes and they do not run out of ideas. All songs are cleverly arranged, neither half-baked nor boring. Okay, at the end of 'Bellum', an echoing sound effect goes wrong and gives the song a somehow unnatural colour. But generally speaking, each and every second of the 42 minutes offers the option to drown in pure blackness. This is black metal that comes from the underground or even below, not in terms of the professional production, but with regard to the dedication of the artists. They must be extremely good actors, if this performance is not based on conviction and honest enthusiasm for the music they play. To create such a monolithic record is nothing for weekend maniacs, because it has style, depth and sustainability. You can be sure that you will not forget this musical content as soon as the album has come to its end. Moreover, Bâ’a have kept an eye on the entire package. Both the simple, colourless artwork and dignified design of the booklet express their stylish approach visually. The artwork, for instance, shows death in a very cautious way – nevertheless, it cannot be misunderstood. Thus, I admit that this work takes me to the core, the essence and the blazing fire of the sub-genre. Hopefully, you make a similar experience with this output.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

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