Gris - Il Était une Forêt...

Good, raw depressive black metal from Canada here.  This is their second full length, and the one I've listened to more.  The production and instrumentation are good enough that it's not so fuzzy that my ears ring after ten seconds of listening.  The music is actually really engrossing, and captivating.  It reminds me of what I think people see in bands like Burzum, that mixture of sadness and anger, and mourning - except this is great, because it's (as far as I know) not written by an obnoxious, racist, sexist, homophobic troll.

The vocals are really what does it for me on this release though.  The singer sounds genuinely anguished, it's like this record is the soundtrack to someone's utter despair at trying to find beauty in a culture that does it's best to grind all things beautiful and natural down, to make them marketable commodities.  I know some Black Metal bands do their noble best to copy some privileged, Norwegian teenager from 20 years ago's posturing, and leave it at that, adding little originality, or genuineness to the mix. What this band does is convincing.  Seriously.  I think that's what I appreciate, there is the darkness, and sadness, and hatred, but the attempts to find beauty in the world too.  It comes off as incredibly real.  During track 4 "Veux-tu Danser" The singer sounds like they are actually weeping, and it doesn't come off as the least bit pretentious, or forced.  Okay, maybe a little pretentious, but what form of art isn't just a little pretentious?

The lyrics are all in french.  I did a quick Google translate, (which is unreliable at best) and as far as I can tell they are all sadness/forest/natural world themed.  Metal Archives lists their lyrical themes as "Balance between Depression and Joy, Spirituality" which I can get down with.  Go buy this record.  If you know where to get a copy of it on vinyl, let me know. 

Here.