French band Viande do more than create scarring, wholesome dark and doomy death metal – they delve into the more atmospheric side of things that messes with your consciousness and has potential psychological implications. There’s an all too palpable menace in the sound – the aggressive, militaristic approach, the ominous, dread-filled music aided by a combination of abyssal growls and tormented screams, and ultimately, a haunting, eerie atmosphere touched by dissonance that wouldn’t be out of place in a horror movie. Viande’s music sounds chaotic even during the slower, doomier parts. It exerts a kind of control over you making you more susceptible to the imagery they intend to project with their sound. When this carefully devised album ends, the feeling is akin to stumbling out of a horrific catacomb in an enhanced spiritual state, with the cries of a thousand dead souls still ringing in your head. “Monument aux morts” is an exceptional album in the style and definitely not one for the faint of heart.

Genre – dark, doomy, atmospheric death metal

For fans of – Incantation, Teitanblood, Cruciamentum, Dwelling Below, Dead Congregation