The term "master craftsman" comes up frequently in my reviews of French bands because 2024 saw numerous projects, such as Doska, Obscurité, and L’Eclat du Déclin, which I'm discussing today, deliver meticulously crafted works, honed down to the smallest detail.
This type of one-man band, whose existence depends entirely on studio work, places the heavy burden of delivering a compelling album on its creator, lest they be ignored or quickly forgotten. So, let me reassure you right away, even if it means spoiling the conclusion of this review: L’Eclat du Déclin is damn good!
It's worth noting that this project was founded by Julien Hovelaque, who has participated and continues to participate in numerous projects (on keyboards, guitar—he can do it all, including programming meticulously crafted drums) and brilliantly played in two bands that, in the eyes of discerning connoisseurs, have left their mark on the extreme metal scene in our country: Ave Tenebrae (3 demos in 1999/2000/2008, then 2 albums in 2013 and 2016) and Maleficentia (4 albums between 2001 and 2014).
To help you understand, the former plays a high-caliber, melodic (and somewhat progressive) Swedish-style Black/Death metal, while the latter plays a classy Symphonic Black Metal. Some influences that come to mind are Dissection/Nagflar/Opeth for the former and Cradle/Dimmu/Gehenna for the latter.
Give Ave Tenebrae and Maleficentia a listen if you can; both clearly deserve posthumous recognition!
The reason I'm spending so much time talking about the past is that these groups are foundational to L’Eclat du Déclin. Julien honed his knack for catchy melodies in these bands, particularly through his guitar work, and for creating impressive symphonies with keyboards, choirs, and a richly textured composition supported by numerous vocalists.
With this expertise, it's clear that L’Eclat du Déclin hasn't been idle: Un Echo dans les Ruines, Mater Tenebrarum (two demos from 2018), followed by the albums Ainsi Passe la Gloire du Monde (2020) and Pâle Echo de ce que nous Fûmes (2022). Is Julien perhaps releasing albums in even-numbered years? Only time will tell!
In the meantime, two years won't be too much to properly listen to and appreciate "The Howling of the Spheres," as the album is truly exceptional.
"Oracle Entropique" and "Anemomia," at 8 and 9 minutes respectively, seem to me perfect entry points into the world they present.
"Oracle Entropique" covers a wide range of styles: a symphonic intro, a break with "religious" chants, death metal riffs and vocals, bursts of black metal, and a heavy guitar lead. A very broad spectrum of metal is invited to the table with a layered structure; certain passages reappear throughout the track, but never exactly the same. Special mention goes to the vocals, which are very varied and often set the tone for the different sections, navigating between various distorted vocals (typical of black/death metal or somewhere in between) and a distorted clean voice.
“Anemomia” also offers a very diverse journey and confirms the euphoria the listener can feel upon discovering the compositions, a constantly renewed pleasure in appreciating each layer, each transition. Special mention goes to this track with its very powerful brass effects and well-placed ambient passages.
Perhaps I'm influenced by the images the band posts on YouTube with their videos, but this album strikes me as an invitation to travel and introspection. While Darkthrone has always evoked the forest for me and Immortal the ice floe, L’Eclat du Déclin conjures up images of mountains and solitude…
“L’appel des Mânes” stands out as an emblematic track, perfectly capturing the mood I feel on this album, brimming with epic and galvanizing riffs interspersed with atmospheric passages: listen to that minimalist guitar laid over a central break, magnified by a heart-wrenching vocal, like a call launched from the top of an isolated peak, far from everything, painfully futile in its lack of an audience.
Both sublime and chilling, this passage, by contrast, lends considerable breadth to the sections that follow, with sinuous guitars laid over rhythmic syncopations that then open up into soaring, beautiful passages. The finesse of the keyboard/guitar blend brings the track to its climax against a backdrop of diabolical blast beats. This is precisely the kind of feeling I get from listening to Black Metal.
As you'll have gathered, each track features moments of brilliance (the center of "Au Sein du Panthéon"), ethereal passages (the superb acoustic introduction to "Silhouette"), and progressive atmospheres thanks to the explorations made possible by the arrangements.
It takes considerable talent to tackle so many styles with coherence and without any production weaknesses, and the remarkable work done on the sound textures and spatialization (best enjoyed with headphones) deserves special mention.
Sample: youtube.com/watch?v=0ZmBZiV9kgs
