With an unwitting Pope at his side the coiffed and gilded self-coronation of Napoleon‘s newly forced-into-action hereditary dynasty would prove popular enough with the populace that his functional reign as quasi-emperor of France was readily accepted by a self-deleting counsel and despite this being far from the desired outcome per the long-brewing revolution prior. In juxtaposition to the glorious pageantry and opulent siege of power at the outset we are treated to the suggestion and depiction of profiteering from war on both sides of each conflict resultant, not only the events leading up to coronation but the ten years of brutal conflict which followed as France’s domination of Europe overextended itself unto fields of burning bodies, sacks full of bloody coins, and boastful claims… all imagery which highlights this equally debauched and stoic second full-length album from Montréal, Québec-based black metal trio Departure Chandelier. ‘Satan Soldier of Fortune‘ presents as much of a dichotomy in its core mechanisms, wherein melodious highs and humming chorales frost the tips of an otherwise ruddy and clubbed-out raw black metal experience which barks out a darker, heavier groove on this much anticipated follow-up to their 2019 debut.

Departure Chandelier were active as early as ~2010 and though they’ve long referenced auld French black metal as a main component of their sound they’ve not wheeled all the way back in time to the beginnings of Gorgon or the swerving muss of early Vlad Tepes (well, listen to ‘War Funeral March‘ in any case) but rather late 90’s melodic ideals given a burnt to a crisp guitar tone in raw deconstruction allowing for simple pacing and prominent use of keyboards for melodic device. If we can use something like, the first Hirilorn tape as a high standard ca. 1997 this’d be more primitive (a la early Bèlkètre, Osculum Infame etc.) in terms of performance but occasionally sophisticated in its reach for punkish melodicism. The balance of raw, irradiated tones and gallant melodies found on their first three demo tapes was perfectly achieved as a series of four recordings, each supposedly revived from sessions during 2010, were released starting with a debut full-length (‘Antichrist Rise To Power‘, 2019) which I’d found myself enamored with in my review, eventually setting the album at #67 on my Best of 2019. That same year also saw the reissue of their 2011 Tour de Garde released demo tape (‘The Black Crest Of Death, The Gold Wreath Of War‘, 2011) which’d perfectly echoed the sound and songwriting quality of their full-length, having come from the same year and exploring the same methodology. To sum the odd situation of this band and how they’ve done quite well in curating an “never before released” set of four reissues taken from demo recordings circa 2010 is perfectly set next to the accidental, perhaps unwanted success of the 90’s French black metal that’d inspired them.

While the first two records chosen to release were well-plucked for their melodic qualities, their intense guitar tone and austere connections made between late 2000’s Québecois black metal musing over late 90’s French dressage, the next two releases from Departure Chandelier‘s stable were less inspired per my own taste. Starting with a brief yet distracted demo (‘Dripping Papal Blood‘, 2020) and another tape from a related/precursor group, Venusberg Cardinal, which was also recorded during the ‘Antichrist Rise to Power‘ sessions in 2010 (titled ‘Atlas of Dungeons‘) was released last year, suggesting that an intense amount of material had basically been chucked to the wind by the artist at one point. After taking in the full discography I’d say the conclusions drawn are beyond curious as I’d found the more primitive the statement and grit-slaked the production values (or, lack thereof) were the more I appreciated the tuneful statement of each song. I’m not sure if “The worse it sounds, the better the song” is the actual conclusion here but rather that raw simplicity and some personal choices of tone and distortion had allowed Departure Chandelier an arcane personae which does well to represent both their relation to Québecois and French black metal narratives and the Napoleonic themes depicted. You might have to agree with me here to enjoy what ‘Satan Soldier of Fortune‘ has to offer as they’ve suggested that it was recorded on the same four-track device and using the same guitar distortion and synth as the previous full-length.

It took five years to recreate the magickry they’d captured on two albums and two demos which were all recorded during the same sessions (or, same year) fourteen years ago? In fact we cannot assume they’ve done so beyond the nuclear radiation burnt guitar distortion and the chorale-stoked keys which reprise their auld crumbling sense of space as “By Way of Torchlight From Parliament to Catacombs” gallops into view, resuscitating an abandoned history re-mused within a distended mortuary. Ugly sonic refractions and bleeding noise abounding on earlier tapes are recreated with some believable faith but a few things are clearly different, such as the drum render being distant but less distorted and the presences of the keyboards mixed in a pleasantly high-ceiling’d reach while the vocalist is perfectly intelligible in his growling cadence. While I’d have wanted something slightly more dumpster-borne initially this wasn’t such an issue up front wherein we get some of the spirit of the earlier releases right away; Where I’d begin to draw a darker line between the past and present came with “Hard as a Coffin Nail”, much more of an ‘old school’ (or, circa ’92) black metal groove with its crumbling downstroked main rhythms and readable chorus (see also: “Satan Soldier of Fortune”.) The third riff introduced in the second half is accompanied by a keyboard which finishes its phrase and helps push past the guttural, primitive feeling of this song which didn’t initially line up well with my perception of Departure Chandelier up to this point.

Upon approach of ‘Satan Soldier of Fortune‘ the scenery depicted was clear enough, the looting of the dead amidst a massive battlefield full of stinking corpses, yet I couldn’t figure how this’d historically related to the self-coronation of the new hereditary dynasty proposed by Napoleon, the suggested main subject of these themes. If we are seeing the fallout beyond the Napoleonic wars that’d encompass the next ten years beyond coronation, this seems to be the case and would make more sense. Otherwise the band’s personification of the fellow again presents him as a bird of prey per the avatar “Accipitridae”, easily one of the best and most representative pieces on the full listen and the clearest reprisal of what’d made ‘Antichrist Rise to Power‘ such a compelling release several years ago with a driving melody at its root. Of the five total non-interlude pieces of the eight total this is where I’d felt Departure Chandelier had best reprised and expanded upon their work, “Hail Dark Forces” does well to uphold that feeling for its first half but soon devolves to slurring grooves as the second half kicks in. The simpler, raw black metal grinding which threatens to become the majority modus on this second LP isn’t ineffective but rather it creates a less considered candor overall.

Though I’d been impressed by the melodic side of Departure Chandelier in the past I’d not found that same connection with this second full-length, finding it blunted and ragged as they reach for deeper authenticity and rawness which I’d found lacking in distinction from the crowd in a few small but not unimportant ways. ‘Satan Soldier of Fortune‘ still bears all of the key hallmarks of the band but trades some of the raw charm of earlier releases for something more often engaged in blunt, growling and raw motion which is entertaining on a different level but not a massive delve into the strengths of their past work. It is nonetheless a tuneful and uniquely stated black metal album which feels essential in the moment for its strong personae and authentic sound design. A high recommendation.

---