A simple gimmick can be all a band needs to draw a certain audience towards them, and the potential for such an idea is practically limitless. Hell, we’ve seen plenty of examples of pirates in metal with the likes of Alestorm at the top and even samurais with bands like Whispered having great respect about them. The idea to create medieval-themed black metal is far from a new idea but it’s still quite a novel one, and there are a few select acts that manage to make that very idea golden. While they only have one album outside of this, it’s Véhémence that shows they’re more than capable of accomplishing such with their sophomore album.

A gimmick, like all things, really depends on whose hands you’re putting it in as it truly depends upon the capability of the band itself to make a gimmick sink or fly. Right from seeing that cover art, I had a good feeling about Véhémence and, thankfully, it only got better with each song showing more excellence than the last. What we get throughout the entirety of “Par le Sang Versé” is the sort of black metal that many fans of the style cling to (the fast, unbridled fury with unrelenting vocals), but there’s a special finesse in the sound, theme, and executions of many sections throughout. And it’s in these eight tracks that allow Véhémence to bring the Middle Ages to life in such a harsh light the likes of which we simply don’t get a lot. It all comes together beautifully be it a quick interlude that really emphasizes the medieval elements of the band to brilliant effect, a vicious display of black metal to give “Par le Sang Versé” a scathing edge that’s all but delectable, or a gorgeous melody coupled with blistering speed that gives us so much more flavor than plenty of other acts out there.

At every turn, Véhémence has something stupendous to throw down to allow “Par le Sang Versé” to become a record the likes of which are truly worthy of already being hailed as one of the most intriguing releases of the year, and I can already tell this record is going to be stuck in my head for a while. Many people tend to look down on gimmicks seeing them as cheap parlor ideas for a band that can’t rely on the quality of their music alone, but it’s Véhémence that shows us some of the best that can come from any sort of gimmick metal has thrown at us.