Foghorn "Le Sang Versé" CD Digipack

Digipack with 3 Pannels limited to 500 Copies

I came across this band while looking up some albums to do for the review challenge. Upon doing some research, they're a French band that does pagan black metal. They released a demo in 2013 and did a split with Disakrin, Morgon, and Pestiferis the next year, but didn't release any new material until today with their debut album. After listening to the album on Bandcamp, my overall thoughts on the album is that it was good. However, it had some drawbacks that prevented me from finding it excellent.
What I like about the album is the instruments. The guitars were distorted, but not so much that it barely stands out. The drums also have a great mix of fast blast beats and a slow, doom-like pattern. The bass was even audible on most parts on the album and played original sound instead of just following along with the guitar like many recent black metal projects are doing. The more ambient/dungeon synth moments on the album were great as well, with the synths being in decent quality and bringing in a powerful atmosphere. However, the instruments sound a bit quiet in a lot of the tracks, but I'm sure the volume is fixed in the physical releases.
But one problem with the album is the vocals. Erroiak's vocals have high shrieks, similar to most other black metal vocals. However, I felt that the vocals sounded a bit tedious and boring. An example of this is the third track "Peste Glaciale". The instruments in the song are great, but the vocals don't add anything special in the song. He shrieks about something, but it doesn't feel like he's bringing the lyrics in its full potential. This is a problem in some of the songs, where the vocals kinda kill off whatever mood the song was going for. It's not the worst thing ever, but at the same time, it's not something that'll make me agree with what he's saying.
The production is also noteworthy in the album. It has the signature distortion in the songs that give it a dark, mysterious atmosphere, but it's also clear enough to understand the instruments being played. A great example of the production is "Pensée et Mémoire". The song's production mixes the distorted instruments and the clean composition well, giving off more of a grunge-like sound. It also enhances the atmosphere and gives it more of a chaotic mood. However, the production seems to lean more on the distorted side, so the clearer moments are never given too much focus. Regardless, the production sounds pretty good.
Overall, I had a good time with the album. The instruments sounded great and had plenty of strong structures. The production's mixed distortion also worked great on most tracks. It's the vocals and the occasional inconsistent moments that stop the album from being amazing. While the band has potential to make some amazing stuff, they have some things to improve in order to get their music sounding fantastic.

Sample: https://www.youtube.com/watch?...