Against the wing of a marauding wyvern a jagged stone flung from wooden catapult shatters across iron-tough patagium, sending a volley of fiery obsidian rain back down upon the possessed infantry that’d launched it. In the shadow of the scourge their battlements take joy in the majestic havoc and bloodied acts of medieval warfare at hand, a banner-waving level of ribald beside damning scenes of ruinous carnage… all of which is spellbindingly illustrated within this sixth full-length album from Villeneuve Loubet, France-based black metal quintet DARKENHÖLD. ‘Le Fléau du Rocher‘ comes from a band who inarguably knows their craft well and almost gleefully restates their knack as scene-setters and storytellers who’d revel in the fantastic realms they’d create. Consider this record another escalation of their signature melodicism into increasingly full-featured and ambitious songs, all of which are delivered in spirited fashion which hearkens back to the high(er) standards for personage and atmo-melodicism of olde.

Darkenhöld formed as a trio circa 2008 though you’ll recall per my review of their previous LP (‘Arcanes & Sortilèges‘, 2020) that I’d focused on the history of guitarist/keyboardist and main composer Aldébaran and the lineage of high fantasy black metal he’d been a part of since the early 2000’s. The band’s intent was/is centered around a decidedly dark atmospheric vision lead by 90’s melodic black metal instrumentation, this eventually turned toward a more ‘epic’ feeling by the third LP (‘Castellum‘, 2018) and later incorporated keyboards sparingly. All of the band’s work resounds with highly literate medieval high fantasy energy and subject matter with a grand sense of place, real or imagined, infused into each work. I’ve been an enormous fan of this band from the first spin of that third album appreciating the imaginative spirit of their work as well as the melodic riffcraft which has consistently met a high standard then just as it does now. There’ve been a bit more keyboards used on more recent albums, folken melodies on others, and even an acoustic split album shows a band exercising their craft over the years otherwise. Theirs is a discography worth fully taking on if you’re inclined toward the melodic, epic and classics-minded side of black metal.

‘Le Fléau du Rocher‘ generally revives the folken, keyboard-kissed feeling of early 90’s Norwegian black metal in a context similar to that of ‘Arcanes & Sortilèges‘ before it though I’d just as well point to early Sühnopfer and compatriots Aorlhac for a sense of ‘medieval’ high fantasy melodicism informed by a heritage of distinctly French muse. This time they’ve gone for slightly more ethereal presence on the keyboards, letting more of the choral vocal arrangements back in while giving the lead guitars a boost as central focus on several songs (see: “Troubadour”). As a fan of the band for a decade I would suggest this album could be observed as both signature and continuation, intentionally setting a different scene rather than a sequel.

Opener “Codex de la Chevalerie” gives us some of the suggested densely formed, classicist feeling up front but the first four or so pieces on this album generally carry the expected chivalric, heroically stated quality which is amplified by catchier folken melodies and speedier kicks of melodic black metal riffcraft writ for two concurrent rhythm guitar voices. “Le Cortège Royal” provides a clearer picture of Darkenhöld‘s signature for those unfamiliar while the opener is more patient in its development, a properly compelling introduction and one of the more fastidiously writ pieces on the whole album up front. Those early moments set the tone of the experience outright though there are some surprising moments along the way, such as the break ~4:06 minutes into “Le Cortège Royal”, which typically interrupt the thread for the sake of ripping a few leads.

Though I wouldn’t describe Darkenhöld as a symphonic band in any sense the more atmospheric use of keyboards and inward-set grooves found on “L’ascension du Mage Noir” find a great place for them as feature for the song’s key melody beyond the general layers found in most every song otherwise. We find a very different implementation of them right after on “Dans l’Antre de la Vouivre”, a song which is both oddly atmospheric in its dictation but also thrashing in its verses another indication that they’re finding new modes of movement to color these pieces and their rhythms beyond dryly straight forward repetition. This would turn out to be my favorite portion of the album with the inclusion of the infectious standout (and Side B opener) “Troubadour”, a tarantella as much as it is a pagan black melody driven song.

The second half of ‘Le Fléau du Rocher‘ then reaches for the band’s atmospheric ‘epic’ side more directly, allowing far more space to breathe and lean into ethereal keys. This is where the suggestion of auld Norsk black metal should be more clearly evident but not in a plain way as this also comes with more shredding and melodic leads in general. These songs were initially far less distinct in tone upon approach, particularly the step from the title track into “Gardienne des Dryades”, but this will make more sense once you’ve parsed the lyrics and caught onto the imagery intended. While I appreciate where we end up within the lead-driven upsurge within “La Cavalerie Fantôme”, another standout per my own taste, the full listen begins to come across like a book with one too many different protagonist arcs running as Side B reads as a container for a number of pieces rather than interlaced ride through. This isn’t a complaint, though, as repeated listens reveal an experience which manages its raucous energy and fascinated intimacy unto fine pacing.

Darkenhöld have long captured my attention for the sake of speaking to what’d initially attracted me to black metal in the late 90’s, high fantasy imagery and themes delivered via ornate melodicism faceted within “obscene” rhythmic action. Their idea for the band was inherently nostalgic, my reason for enjoying their work is nostalgic yet I didn’t walk away from ‘Le Fléau du Rocher‘ feeling like I’d heard it all before. What pushed me along toward outright enjoyment here was a sensation of joy and ambition running through thier work and, sure, even beyond the previous album. The loftier melodious connectivity of these songs doesn’t always speak to the “dark”-sided aspect of black metal then-or-now but these fellowes hold fast upon a sense of awe and mystery which sates the auld standards of the craft as the character of this release accumulates. Though as an existing fan I’ve some bias here I’d felt this is one of the more inspired, energetic records from these folks. A high recommendation.

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