The French Metal scene seems to become more relevant after the 90's, after the wave of Black Metal that arose there. But it doesn't mean that the country has only good Black Metal names, because other Metal genres appear there as well. But in this review, we are talking about "Ægo Templo", the second full length from the quintet DÉLUGE.

Their music is a fusion of early Black/Death Metal essence with elements from Post-Hardcore elements, creating an aggressive, morbid, yet melancholic form of music. It's different from Depressive Black Metal due its better melodic outfit. And yes, the quintet shows personality and energy on the songs, but tempered with sad ambiences and hooking melodies. It's aggressive, but deeply melancholic.

The band's guitarist François-Thibaut Hordé produced, mixed and mastered the songs of "Ægo Templo", maybe a form to keep the control over all the creative aspects of the album. The final result is a sound quality that enables everyone to understand what they're doing, but in a way that the crude nasty ambience is fully kept. And the album has some interesting guests: Tetsuya Fukagawa sings on "Gloire au Silence"; Matthieu Metzger (from KLONE)  plays saxophone parts on "Opprobre"; and Helene Muesser is the one with female voices on "Opprobre", "Ægo Templo" and "Digue".

The sand and oppressive feeling permeates all the songs of "Ægo Templo", and the best ones are: the contrasts between brutality and beauty shown on "Soufre" and "Opprobre" (excellent bass guitar and drums parts on this one), the sharp aggressive energy of "Gloire au Silence" and "Ægo Templo" (the atmospheric touch of it is very good, indeed, contrasting with the harsh voices), the melancholic hooks of "Baïne", and the darkened melodies of "Vers".

The avant-garde elements and non-conventional approach of DÉLUGE isn't easy to be swallowed at the first hearing; but on the second, "Ægo Templo" will seduce the listeners.