{"id":229517,"date":"2026-02-24T22:04:16","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T21:04:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.angrymetalguy.com\/?p=229517"},"modified":"2026-02-24T22:04:16","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T21:04:16","slug":"sanctvs-de-labime-au-plerome-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.angrymetalguy.com\/sanctvs-de-labime-au-plerome-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Sanctvs – De l’Ab\u00eeme au Pl\u00e9r\u00f4me Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"You might, as I did, roll your eyes humorously at the recurrence of the “‘v’ as ‘u'” trope in the name Sanctvs<\/strong>, which could suggest overeager posturing, especially once you learn that this is a solo project. But Xavier Berthiaume\u2014the one behind Sanctvs<\/strong>\u2014is no noob; he’s the drummer for both Atramentus <\/strong>and Oriflamme<\/strong>, as well as one half of occult\/Kabbalistic black metal act Gevurah<\/strong>. With that introduction, De l’Ab\u00eeme au Pl\u00e9r\u00f4me <\/em>looks much less suspect, and the chances of its being good increase.1<\/a><\/sup> Berthiaume’s pedigree is indeed instrumental to the record’s quality, and it’s an edge that makes a difference.<\/p>\n

De l’Ab\u00eeme au Pl\u00e9r\u00f4me <\/em>is melodic black metal largely unadorned. Guitars are reverb-free\u2014for the most part\u2014and riffs, percussion, and roars alike coexist in approximately equal audibility. There is little time devoted to the development of atmospheric soundscapes or grand, poignant climaxes; the melodies herein are simple, sempiternally iterated through slight modifications of a theme played through layered strums and tremolos. With endlessly rolling, galloping drums, refrains are minimally expressed, and the effect is of a blur of onward energy, punctuated by hoarse, roaring screams. Reminiscent in this way of countless like acts, but particularly Woe<\/strong>2<\/a><\/sup> (“Sacrif\u00e9 sur l’autel de la r\u00e9demption”), and in the frequent tilt of those roars into a pained kind of wail, Gevurah<\/strong>. Exceptions\u2014mournful and comparatively melodically rich “Thr\u00e8ne pour un monde r\u00e9volu,” and the unusual sidesteps towards Blut Aus Nord<\/strong>-esque eerieness in the leading air of “Sacrif\u00e9 sur l’autel…”\u2014only prove the rule. They are folded into the forward momentum and give the overall soundscape the hint of variation that allows it to be, in toto, a singular force.<\/p>\n