MAUDIIR – La Part Du Diable – (EP Review)

“Who The “F” Is?

Maudiir is a Canadian metal artist comprising of one guy called F. In the press release it said all instruments by F, all songs written, produced and mastered by F. I wondered who is this elusive character? Well, it mentioned he was a member of the band Trinity Blast. Looking them up I found the guitarist was the only member who had a name starting with the sixth letter of the alphabet and his name is Frederic Bergeron.

Investigation

From further investigation, it seems to be pretty certain he is the man behind the project. Here at CGCM, we are not only reviewers but investigators as well! So now we know the man behind the letter what about the music? At the top of the press release they linked it as for folks “who like Skeletonwitch, Voivod, Ihsahn and Carcass“ and I can see why as it has elements of black or death metal along with prog.

Also on listening there is also a strong vibe of old school NWOBHM like Iron Maiden along with moments that made this reviewer think that F has definitely heard or been influenced by fellow Canadians Rush in at least a couple of tracks. The EP which is called La Part Du Diable is the second EP from him and on checking out the first release Le Temps Peste I can say I agree with F that the bass is much more prominent here. It has more oomph.

The Songs Reviewed

There are five tracks of blackened style thrash metal with plenty of prog leanings. Opener “Fracture” has an acoustic gentle opening before going into the main riff. The song fairly gallops along at points with lyrics not naming names but hinting at perhaps politicians who stoke up hate and fear. I particularly like the line that says “the lunatics of our time exploited their fame“. So true.

The first moment of Rush sound comes in the second track “The Slumber” which is a tad slower than the previous song but on this, the bass really comes through strongly. Around the 1 minute 50 second mark sonically I heard a hint of “Vapour Trails” in the mix. The final lyric again hits the mark about the world today when it says “ignorance is pushing us down, down the road to annihilation“. When the song speeds up the drums really push through pounding away hell for leather.

Fortunate

“The Fortunate Few” is for me the best track on show. Intense and dark with a thrashy sounding chorus which is remarkably catchy for the genre. There are some nice shifts in this song and once again there is some powerful fast drumming and soloing. The lyrics can at times be taken in two ways; for instance, the lines “swallowing in unbelievable muck, breathing in foul air of mass consumption” could be taken as literal, the damage to the physical earth due to corporate greed or the damage we do to ourselves as we chase commercialisation.

There is also a comment “they are thriving while you are praying to your God” which I rather liked. “Spirit Of Sulpher” has a mix of Iron Maiden and Rush within it via the galloping bass lines and the sonics of the guitar, best way to describe it is that the guitar is often doing the textures in songs as the bass and drums lead. There is more focus on the rhythm instruments whilst the guitar underpins things. It is a very pleasing sound. In “The Crowning Hour” the Maiden sound is replaced more by a Voivod prog madness. There are little changes of intensity helping to keep it all interesting for the listener.

In Conclusion

So five tracks of good quality from Maudiir that should entertain those who like black metal but also are open to prog and old school heavy metal. The mix is pleasing and the whole thing works very well. Being only 25 minutes or so it is easy to consume, it comes in, hits hard and fucks off. Thoroughly recommended.

 Pre-Order/Purchase EP Via Bandcamp

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