CAUCHEMAR – Rosa Mystica
Temple of Mystery Records
CAUCHEMAR is a traditional metal/doom act from Quebec. I first learned about em back in 2010 with their La vierge noire EP. Their singer, Annick Giroux, also put out Hellbent for Cooking: The Heavy Metal Cookbook. I'm a chef so of course I got it. So here we have the band's third full length. Their last one, Chapelle ardente, came out in 2016. Oh yeah that one was amazing.
What I like about CAUCHEMAR is that they have a formula sound which they stick with without experimenting outside of their realm. They know how to create great music and expand upon it with each new release. On this one you've got the basics. Annick Giroux, who sings in French, has this medium range vocal and comes across as some type of occult mystic. Her vocals are very captivating to say the least.
The vocals are backed by a musical sound reminiscent of the nascent era of NWOBHM or earlier. Years ago I remember reading some people saying they had a PRIEST or SABBATH influence. As for me I always thought PAGAN ALTAR. And hey no surprise that Alan Jones of PAGAN ALTAR does a guitar solo on the song "Volcan". Now besides that there's some cool organ added to some songs.
Musically this is a tough yet melodic sounding release. The basic is always an atmosphere which is inviting with the riffs as well as percussion. The vocals are the icing on the cake. Bias alert, I've been a fan of their's for twelve years now. To me this album never ends. After it's eight songs pass you push replay and enjoy it all over again. Yeah this is one of the best albums of 2022.
LISTEN HERE:
https://cauchemar.bandcamp.com/
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