When it comes to the representation of Canadian black metal, there’s no other band that should come faster to our minds than Sorcier Des Glaces. The band’s run has been no less than staggering with a massive catalog slowly being built up since its inception over twenty years ago, and time has been truly kind to the entity. Eight studio albums in, many would suspect a dip in quality of some form, but Sorcier Des Glaces is at ready for battle as ever with this new effort being another deadly weapon to add to that menacing catalog.

The frozen imagery of certain sections of Canada is a perfect backdrop for what Sorcier Des Glaces bring to the table with that monochrome visage of snow-blanketed woods or frozen castles being the imagery that this exceedingly cold vein of black metal is no less than perfect for. It wouldn’t be a stretch to think that any band wouldn’t be able to continue with that sound after several efforts, but Sorcier Des Glaces has proven time and again that it’s not the run-of-the-mill acts we’ve all come to know with “Un Monde de Glace et de Sang” being the latest effort of cold steel that is thrust our way. Eight tracks of furious blizzards and spells in the midnight cold, this album is something that should not come as a surprise for any fans of this act for its very much what we’ve come to expect from that with that quality still being tantalizingly present and the talent that Sorcier Des Glaces is always flaunting without shame is enabling this effort to become not just entertaining, but vastly hypnotic. The melodies and the piercing atmospheres are always working their way deeper into your consciousness as Sorcier Des Glaces is very methodical in its sound to make the overall work something that any proper fan of black metal shouldn’t have a single problem falling into for all of its excellencies being very apparent as this duo work their magic yet again to craft a ferocious album that’s so much of what we can’t get enough of!

With releases like this, it’s very easy to fall back on the phrase “if isn’t broke, don’t fix it”. That is more than perfect to describe the sound that Sorcier Des Glaces has had nailed down perfectly for several years now, and it’s with each release that its greatness is tested with not a single sign of wavering to be had anywhere on this record much like its predecessors, and that’s not a shock to me whatsoever. The entirety of “Un Monde de Glace et de Sang” is what purveyors of black metal are always craving for, and if you’re going to talk about albums that snuck in at the close of the year that are noteworthy then this better be one of the names that slither out of your mouth.

LISTEN to “Un Monde de Glace et de Sang” on Bandcamp here, or via Youtube below.

LIKE Sorcier Des Glaces on Facebook here.