KPN- Lorraine Rehearsal (Northern Heritage limited 1000 First press 2007)

Here's an interesting EP from Peste Noire, one that might look ahead to a new, more melodic and structured direction and at the same time looks back fondly to the band's earlier, wilder and more intense history.

On Side A, the music is crisp, sharp and precise and individual bass melodies can be heard below the rapid-fire guitar riffs and melodies which are not quite so full-on as on earlier demos. The drumming is good without being outstanding and there are much fewer episodes of sheer blast-beat fury. Even the vocals are very controlled (with few screams) to the extent that they are dominated by the guitars. The impression I have is of efficiency rather than intense derangement and while for other bands this restrained approach might be something to strive for, with Peste Noire it seems as if the band is treading water and saving its energy for something else.

Well that something else might just be on the other side of the EP. Side B is taken up with just one song, a remake of "Phalènes Et Pestilence", the band's 2005 demo. Listeners can hear the difference between this song and the flip side straight away: aside from the production which is less clear and of a lower standard, the guitar sound seems more distorted and raw, the drums are more frenzied and the style of music is more extreme. Famine fair rips his throat to shreds, and guitars-n-drums range all over the available music territory from folk to organ-dominated melodies, pop, improvised and experimental.