La Sanie des siècles - Panégyrique de la dégénérescence
Encyclopedia
La Sanie des siècles – Panégyrique de la dégénérescence (which roughly translates as « The sanies of the centuries - Ode to degeneration », « sanies » being « a thin greenish foul-smelling discharge from a wound, ulcer, etc., containing pus and blood » according to the Collins English Dictionary
) is the debut album by the French black metal
band Peste Noire
. The bulk of the album is based on tracks which were previously featured on Peste Noire demos (all written and recorded by La sale Famine de Valfunde on his own equipment). For La Sanie des siècles – Panégyrique de la dégénérescence these demo tracks were rerecorded in Rosenkrantz studio with a full line-up (Indria as bassist and Winterhalter as drummer) Famine had recruited.
This album still features the same raw sound of Peste Noire’s demos, but was still substantially cleaned up a lot in terms of listenability. The music still falls into the black metal category, but manages to go above and beyond that with sprawling tracks that managed to maintain their credibility over the course of 5 to 11 minutes. Famine also used a lot of samples in his music – taken from a variety of sources – in order to build a lot of the twisted, mysterious atmosphere that the final product holds. Also still in place are Famine’s guitar work.
Neige, who was PN's session drummer on the demos, was no more a member of Peste Noire at the time of La Sanie des siècles, however he was featured on « Nous sommes fanés » and « Des médecins malades et des saints séquestrés » as a session drummer only, basically because these two tracks are old demo tracks which have not been rerecorded in the studio session for La Sanie des siècles. They are bonus tracks in their demo version on the album.
Famine put things straight when he stated: « The most absurd idea spread by idiots is that La Sanie des siècles is better because Neige was more involved in its recording and production, yet the fact is that the album was recorded without Neige, in 2005, when I had kicked him out of the band. Neige never had any influence on my music in the slightest way possible; I write everything and I tell people what they must do over MY riffs. This was exactly what happened with Neige, ask him! [...] To claim that Neige is an important figure in PN is the same as saying that the person who plays the triangle in SOPOR AETERNUS AND THE ENSEMBLE OF SHADOWS is the main man in SOPOR. »
PN plays a guitar-based style of black metal with a very varied songwriting. The riffing and leads have a melodic tinge to them and there is an underlying dark, melancholic feel throughout the album.. Due to its incorporation of organ, folk-based guitars, unusual riffs, guitar solos and the use of multiple different types of black metal vocals, La Sanie des siècles – Panégyrique de la dégénérescence received much critical acclaim from both fans and press.
Their concept of « turning mud into gold » is showcased in Famine's interview featured in the album's booklet and is materialized by the musicianship of Famine (guitars), Winterhalter (drums), and Indria (bass). In this French-written interview, Famine says Black Metal is all about turning the ugly, the disgusting and the horrible into something beautiful. The 2007 follow-up album Folkfuck Folie
will show the consolidation and the deepening of this concept.
According to Famine, the overall themes running through La Sanie des siècles are « a parallel between mediaeval and modern apocalypse; the decline of the current world and the desire to see it die out since it cannot be saved; vengeance and the fantasized return of our Own (our Own: a fallen nobility socially, psychically and physiologically humiliated). Annihilating the world which has annihilated us. It invites people to do so. »
All the songs, lyrics and solos on La Sanie des siècles – Panégyrique de la dégénérescence were written by La sale Famine de Valfunde exclusively except lyrics of « Le mort joyeux » and « Spleen » by Charles Baudelaire
and « Dueil Angoisseus » by Christine de Pisan. All artwork and concept imagined by La sale Famine de Valfunde.
This record was limited to 2,000 pieces during its first cycle of pressing but quickly sold-out due to the growth in the band's fanbase, in 2008 it was repressed by Transcendental Creations.
A limited vinyl version co-produced by De profundis éditions and Finnish label Ahdistuksen Aihio Productions was released in August 2009.
On bonus demo tracks:
Collins English Dictionary
The Collins English Dictionary is an important printed dictionary of English. It is published by HarperCollins.The first edition of the Collins English Dictionary with Patrick Hanks as editor and Lawrence Urdang as editorial director, was a milestone in British dictionary making as it was the...
) is the debut album by the French black metal
Black metal
Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, blast beat drumming, raw recording, and unconventional song structure....
band Peste Noire
Peste Noire
Peste Noire is a Black metal band from Avignon, France. It was founded by La sale Famine de Valfunde in 2000. La sale Famine has been the main member and creative force behind Peste Noire since its inception, and, to date, all songs were written by La sale Famine Peste Noire is a Black metal band...
. The bulk of the album is based on tracks which were previously featured on Peste Noire demos (all written and recorded by La sale Famine de Valfunde on his own equipment). For La Sanie des siècles – Panégyrique de la dégénérescence these demo tracks were rerecorded in Rosenkrantz studio with a full line-up (Indria as bassist and Winterhalter as drummer) Famine had recruited.
This album still features the same raw sound of Peste Noire’s demos, but was still substantially cleaned up a lot in terms of listenability. The music still falls into the black metal category, but manages to go above and beyond that with sprawling tracks that managed to maintain their credibility over the course of 5 to 11 minutes. Famine also used a lot of samples in his music – taken from a variety of sources – in order to build a lot of the twisted, mysterious atmosphere that the final product holds. Also still in place are Famine’s guitar work.
Neige, who was PN's session drummer on the demos, was no more a member of Peste Noire at the time of La Sanie des siècles, however he was featured on « Nous sommes fanés » and « Des médecins malades et des saints séquestrés » as a session drummer only, basically because these two tracks are old demo tracks which have not been rerecorded in the studio session for La Sanie des siècles. They are bonus tracks in their demo version on the album.
Famine put things straight when he stated: « The most absurd idea spread by idiots is that La Sanie des siècles is better because Neige was more involved in its recording and production, yet the fact is that the album was recorded without Neige, in 2005, when I had kicked him out of the band. Neige never had any influence on my music in the slightest way possible; I write everything and I tell people what they must do over MY riffs. This was exactly what happened with Neige, ask him! [...] To claim that Neige is an important figure in PN is the same as saying that the person who plays the triangle in SOPOR AETERNUS AND THE ENSEMBLE OF SHADOWS is the main man in SOPOR. »
PN plays a guitar-based style of black metal with a very varied songwriting. The riffing and leads have a melodic tinge to them and there is an underlying dark, melancholic feel throughout the album.. Due to its incorporation of organ, folk-based guitars, unusual riffs, guitar solos and the use of multiple different types of black metal vocals, La Sanie des siècles – Panégyrique de la dégénérescence received much critical acclaim from both fans and press.
Their concept of « turning mud into gold » is showcased in Famine's interview featured in the album's booklet and is materialized by the musicianship of Famine (guitars), Winterhalter (drums), and Indria (bass). In this French-written interview, Famine says Black Metal is all about turning the ugly, the disgusting and the horrible into something beautiful. The 2007 follow-up album Folkfuck Folie
Folkfuck Folie
Folkfuck folie is the second album by French black metal band Peste Noire. This album features the first four tracks of the Lorraine rehearsal EP re-recorded, re-interpreted and re-worked....
will show the consolidation and the deepening of this concept.
According to Famine, the overall themes running through La Sanie des siècles are « a parallel between mediaeval and modern apocalypse; the decline of the current world and the desire to see it die out since it cannot be saved; vengeance and the fantasized return of our Own (our Own: a fallen nobility socially, psychically and physiologically humiliated). Annihilating the world which has annihilated us. It invites people to do so. »
All the songs, lyrics and solos on La Sanie des siècles – Panégyrique de la dégénérescence were written by La sale Famine de Valfunde exclusively except lyrics of « Le mort joyeux » and « Spleen » by Charles Baudelaire
Charles Baudelaire
Charles Baudelaire was a French poet who produced notable work as an essayist, art critic, and pioneering translator of Edgar Allan Poe. His most famous work, Les Fleurs du mal expresses the changing nature of beauty in modern, industrializing Paris during the nineteenth century...
and « Dueil Angoisseus » by Christine de Pisan. All artwork and concept imagined by La sale Famine de Valfunde.
This record was limited to 2,000 pieces during its first cycle of pressing but quickly sold-out due to the growth in the band's fanbase, in 2008 it was repressed by Transcendental Creations.
A limited vinyl version co-produced by De profundis éditions and Finnish label Ahdistuksen Aihio Productions was released in August 2009.
Track listing
- Nous sommes fanés - 02:18
- Le mort joyeux - 04:40
- Laus tibi domine - 06:57
- Spleen - 05:47
- Phalènes et pestilence - Salvatrice averse - 11:46
- Retour de flamme (Hooligan Black Metal) - 04:18
- Dueil angoisseus (Christine de Pisan, 1362–1431) - 07:02
- Des médecins malades et des saints séquestrés - 09:09
Credits
La Sanie des siècles – Panégyrique de la dégénérescence studio session:- La Sale Famine de Valfunde - guitars, vocals, bass (on « Phalènes et pestilence - Salvatrice averse »), all songs, solos, lyrics (except lyrics taken from Baudelaire and Christine de Pisan)
- Indria - bass
- Winterhalter - drums
On bonus demo tracks:
- Neige - organ and drums (on « Nous sommes fanés » & « Des médecins malades et des saints séquestrés »), short guest vocal appearance (on tracks « Retour de flamme (Hooligan Black Metal) » & « Dueil angoisseus »), bass (on « Des médecins malades et des saints séquestrés »)
External links
- Interview with La sale Famine de Valfunde of the French Black Metal band Peste Noire, Diabolical Conquest: Underground Extreme Metal Webzine, USA, August 12 2009
- Interview with La sale Famine de Valfunde of the French Black Metal band Peste Noire, Zero Tolerance Magazine, United Kingdom, Issue 014, October 31 2006"
- Remarks on the Politics of Black Metal: Peste Noire, by Dr Benjamin Noys (University of Chichester, England). Paper presented in absentia at the Hideous Gnosis Black Metal Theory Symposium in Brooklyn (USA), 12 December 2009
- Complete Peste Noire lyrics
- Northern Heritage Productions
- Contact/De Profundis distribution
- Transcendental Creations