The mix between Folk/Pagan Metal with Black Metal can breed some weird things sometimes. On one hand, you can have an aggressive band playing Folk/Pagan Metal, where the Black Metal influences sink into the Pagan/Folk approach; on other, you have those bands that are excessively brutal and aggressive, and the Folk/Pagan side appears only on the lyrics. But there are those who try to balance both aspects, as the French band GRYLLE. On "Les Grandes Compagnies", these aspects are struggling to bring a good form of music.

Well, think how bands as MAYHEM or DARKTHRONE (when they band played Black Metal) would sound playing songs from SKYCLAD and PAZUZU. It's aggressive and sounds raw and bitter, but always keeping the medieval ambience. It's not so simple to describe with words, but it deserves to be heard out loud for those who are into such Metal genres. Yes, it's filled with energy, and it shows a fine way to blend Black Metal with Pagan/Folk/Medieval/whatever music. The sound quality is where the band puts everything to lose: to such musical work, a clean sonority would be better, because the rawness that permeates the songs isn't good. Obviously that everyone knows that Black Metal sonorities must bear such level of rawness, but not in this way. It's not a waste, but it's not compatible with GRYLLE's work.

In the original album, 11 good songs are presented to the fans' appreciation, and the best ones are the introspective Pagan/Medieval ambience of "Les Dernières Fées De France", the blend of raw Black Metal elements with Medieval melodies shown on "France Qui Te Veult Mal?" and on "Gothique Anjevin", the deep ambience created on "Loz En Croissant", the funereal/Pagan feeling that permeates "Que Chacun Sonje A Se Pouvoir!", the bits of melancholy presented during "Les Guerres Picrocholines" and on "Le Pacte Des Villes". And for those vinyl maniacs, the raw Black Metal song "Les Gendarmeaulx de Dyablerie", along with the Medieval Folk "Près D'un Estang, Mourant" are bonus.

"Les Grandes Compaignes" is a very good work, indeed, but with a better sound quality, and maturing a bit more the band's musical ideas, GRYLLE can become a strong name on the musical genre it plays.