In confrontation of the draining abyss of mortality Montréal, Quebec-based solo black metal act SANCTVS seek the spiritual satiation of omnipresent non-being, the union of all entities which transcends what fills the vessel of existence and what persists in a state of emptiness, per this highly evolved sophomore full-length album. ‘De l’Abîme au Plérôme‘ illustrates a step beyond mankind’s measure of all things, petitioning on high via brazen yet fluidly melodic black metal rants and musings which offer a leap beyond their already impassioned starting point ~seven years ago. Rather than succumb to the melodrama of cinematic black metal horizon and landscape these pieces are aggressively detailed, vocally ruptured and thoroughly intense in their at-times long winded gusting which makes for a doubly effective second LP and deeper mark carved by the artist.

Formed, or, made public circa 2019 Sanctvs comes from the mind of X.B. aka Mortheos who is best known for black metal band Gevurah (among other projects) as well as his engineer/producer gig Tehom Productions. Though Québécois black metal doesn’t typically operate under such specific guidelines it would be fair to suggest that their debut LP (‘Mors Aeterna‘, 2019) carried a familiar atmospheric loftiness while delivering a form of black metal which ranted in anguished lines, expressing some manner of tumultuous vision and death’s worship which to me recalled the earlier reactions to orthodox and occult black metal motion of a certain era. Their work was structurally better aligned with atmospheric black metal’s dramatic meandering pulse at times but the bulk of that first release was achieved via blustering and shouted haul.

Those traits still generally characterize ‘De l’Abîme au Plérôme‘, particularly when Sanctvs offers their most volatile and/or sweeping action, though the seven years between releases has afforded the project more accomplished performance ability and thusly an increased ouevre which dramatically changes the scope and voice of their work. Enhanced aptitude is quickly conveyed through the busied hands of opener “Rex Hominem”, an almost Sinmara-esque marriage of semi-melodic rush, bigger black metal grooves in harried flower and a complex set of riffs/movements which anchor the ear in line with Mortheos‘ throat rattling shout; This thread transforms into a couple of general modes as it evolves with contiguous flow throughout the full listen, offering more immediate melodic black metal traits (re: standout “Sacrifié sur l’autel de la rédemption“) as the album burns through its intensity without leaving behind the tragedian atmospheric lilt (“Thrène pour un monde révolu”) introduced by the previous album. Though the opener had already done a fine job of immersing the ear with purpose-filled strikes it’d been “Sacrifié sur l’autel de la rédemption” to catch my ear in preview and suggest an evolution of the artist’s hand.

Side A does a brilliant job of showing the three general faces of Sanctvs‘ sound where aggression, melody and atmospheric froth represent an ideal which transcends some, not all, of their debut’s singular tonal focus. As we pass onto Side B that same general tonal triangulation of forms emerges within the final three pieces but now offer some additional immersive depth as the general modus of the first few pieces codifies in mind. My tastes pulled me toward the grand melodic ride of “Tour d’Ivore” to start as a fan of French/Québécois black metal trait in glowing trample. This naturally flows right into finale/closer “La Lumière de l’infini” where I’d found the guts-ripping howl of the vocals begin to wear at its peaking spit-and-rasped nox while also appropriately delivering an energetic rally toward the endpoint. These songs are less dense and technical than the first couple of pieces on the album, suiting the narrative with exasperated gestures and broader strokes on the way out, but I wouldn’t say the were any less fastidious in detail or lacking in expression by any means.

As a listening experience ‘De l’Abîme au Plérôme‘ is neither overproduced nor underthought in its tonal carriage as Sanctvs reinforces their increasing skill level and expressivity via strong sonic fidelity without losing the cold grime of black metal presentation. As a fan of melodic black metal of old I’d appreciated that there are points of contact, confrontational spikes amidst the streaming atmospheric quality of their work as this breaks up the barrage of their debut to great effect. I’d found the full listen enjoyable if not taxingly purged from the author when set on repeat, an album which could serve either demanding focus or a wandering mind well enough to entertain but may not initially stand out or provide any quick “hook” beyond the specialist ear. A high recommendation.

---