The French one-man band Hyver has released his third full-length album, "Shaataunoar." This LP was unleashed back in December last year via his personal label Antiq Records, and it's chock-full of melodic/symphonic black metal and dungeon synth clad in the French language. Leon Guiselin has ten other projects, so he's got a lot on his pentagram-shaped plate. This album has a huge amount of bonus tracks, but for this review, I'll be tackling the eight main tracks.

The first thing I noticed on the album cover was a message that quotes "An album in which you are the hero." Maybe I'm in for some uplifting black metal? I'm all in for breaking genre norms. "L'Arrivee" is a quick opener with a synth background and a female narrator calmly speaking to you. According to the story, you (the listener) have arrived at an ancient building, and you can press certain buttons go into the building. This album is like a medieval video game! Apparently, I pressed the right button, as "Shaataunoar" begins with castle-like ambience and melodic black metal instrumentation. While dissonant in sound, the guitars, bass, and drums build quite an atmosphere. The vocals are raspy, but not too harsh. The drums start to get a little monotonous at times, but this track is solid. My journey continues with "Salle d'armes." The song feels harsher, but also more symphonic. The melancholic guitar section is great, and the vocals are pained. Did I choose the wrong option this time? "Salon de chasse" returns to the laid-back, acoustic guitar-laden black metal of before. The influences of dungeon synth come to life in this song, supporting the melodies. The melodies are simply lovely to listen to, but I keep wondering if the whole video game premise was just for the opener. French spoken word is added, but I'm not sure if it's the same. I'd like to see more of the story in the second half of this record.

"Chambre" drags you further into Hyver's realm, and I'm happy to be there. The guitars and drums are blisteringly fast, but when they play together for long enough, they blend into a wall of noise that's quite comforting. My comfort is ironically interrupted by some snoring and a calm interlude, but the metal jumps right back in, accompanied by an ocarina or other eclectic flute. "Gernier / Laboratoire" starts with cute horns leading a march, and the melody of the march is carried on by keyboards when the black metal begins. This is another symphonic and melodic track, and I dig it, just like the rest. "Cuisines" is slathered in piano and dynamic riffs and solos. The guitar work on this song is some of the album's best. Finally, "Caves" ends the project in a powerful yet knowledgeable way.

"Shaataunoar" takes us through a melodic, symphonic, and enjoyable journey through an ancient castle. I just figured out now that each song title is a room of a building in French, and I now understand the message. While I wish Hyver would expand upon the video game aspect a bit, this album was great, and I wish I had gotten to it when it was first released.