Hand-numbered and limited to 500. Wow, really. What the hell is this? I mean, I liked Akitsa before, "Sang Nordique" was a pretty good album with some really nice tunes, but generally Akitsa was just one more Black Metal band these days with the occasional good moment here and there. But now this... just wow.

"La Grande Infamie" is a collection of instant classics. The basic elements of previous releases are all here, over the years Akitsa have developed an immediately recognizable trademark style, and that didn't change, the style is still the same as all of Akitsa's trademark stylistic elements are still the same. The major difference are the songs composed in this style, because while previous releases might have been good, this just blows you away. This brings up memories of the old Norwegian releases from the early nineties, not because it sounds like them, but because the whole album is packed with great songs, each one of them an absolute evergreen from the start, one that will stick with you for many years to come.

Those who have heard the band before know that the brand of Black Metal Akitsa plays is definitely a unique one. The only comparison I can make is that if Ildjarn had joined Absurd as a second guitarist around the time of the latter's "Facta Loquuntur" it might have sounded somewhat similar to this, but that description doesn't really do Akitsa the whole of justice it deserves either, because the sound - as in composition combined with production - particularly on this album, and in parts on previous albums, is just so rich and full that it cannot be described using other bands as an example. At most, comparisons can be made as a point of orientation, but only to a certain (rather small) degree of accuracy. To throw some words around, this is definitely raw Black Metal, but arranged in an epic fashion like most nature-oriented (and in this and many other cases quite patriotic) Black Metal is, though not in the excessive fifteen-minutes-of-boring-repitition sense of epic that seems to be popular these days. No, Akitsa songs are generally very efficient and to the point, but manage to evoke epic feelings none the less. Many songs are based on magnificent build-ups, moving towards a climax, and often releasing the momentum in beautiful simplistic guitar solos. This has been the case in the past, particularly on "Sang Nordique", but on this album it reaches a point of perfection that - unless you are deaf, or have a very strange "taste" I cannot relate to - will simply capture you all the way through.

I've only had this album for nearly a month, so I cannot fully pass judgement over whether it was pass the test of time yet, so going by my feelings now, I expect that some time in the future I will have to re-visit this review, and edit the score upwards another five percent, because this album simply feels perfect, and every single song seems like an immortal classic. Oh yes, and usually my conclusions of reviews contain a word or two about whether the release in question should be recommended or not. Well, go figure... This is a must-buy.

-Droneriot

[ Discography ] 

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Label: Tour de Garde | Item Code: Various | Country: Canada | Year: 2007 | Genre: Black Metal

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