Moonreich – Loi Martiale

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France’s Moonreich is to black metal what Hail of Bullets is to death metal. Their use of samples of gunfire, the dying moans of soldiers, and rain pouring down on what can only be assumed is a battlefield, when combined with their machine gun drumming, workmanlike riffing and aggressive, almost Watain-like approach to vocals, creates a warlike feel matched only by the aforementioned band’s modern classics like …Of Frost And War. Even the album’s title (Loi Martiale, translating to “Martial Law” in English) evokes the world one inhabits when war ravages the land. Unfortunately, for all their successful strides in creating atmosphere, their music leaves a little bit to be desired. Very few of the riffs are memorable, and when they are, they tend to sound a bit too much like low-end ’90s Gothenburg death metal. Even more undesirable influences creep into the sound in the form of gratuitous delay effects, cheesy synthesizers there for melody rather than atmosphere, and third-rate Dissection melodies. The best moments on the record come when it sounds like the band is satisfied to be doing a black metal interpretation of Hail of Bullets. It’s not the most original premise for a musical endeavor, but if it becomes their bread and butter, it will probably serve them the best.

Written by Brad Sanders
More: 2011, Albums, Black Metal, Quick.Play Reviews, Moonreich