Griffon – De Republica

Griffon is a French Black Metal quartet with, so far twelve years underneath their collective belts, spread across an EP, a Split, a Collaboration and three Full-length releases – And while I will admit that yes, that doesn’t sound overall that impressive given the timeframe they have been active, I will point to the fact that each of their releases have been very well-received from fans of modern Black Metal. And for good reason; Griffon have, by releasing De Republica (French for ‘Of A Republic’) managed to not only prove that the French have their own unique spin they like to put upon their Black Metal releases, but finally helped me articulate exactly what it is and why I seem to be explicably drawn to it.

Simply put, bands such as Griffon have a strong air of self-rightousness about them. They are aware of their own knowledge and abilities as well as what their view of the world is. Like any good politician (and some businessmen) they have a grand plan for the world and their place in it. And in most of the Black Metal acts from this particular region of the world that I enjoy (such as Griffon, Malevolentia, Cepheide and The Great Old Ones) all seem to share this strong confidence, with lends strong credence to their performance overall, permeating it throughout as it tends to do when I am drawn to it. In short: Griffon know what they want to achieve, they have the means to do just that and have absolutely no desire to be humble nor discreet about it. Even their lyrical themes of choice seem to mirror this stance, focusing heavily on both religion and politics through a historical lens (The track ”The Ides Of March” in particular caught my eye both due to it being the only English track out of the six present on the record, but also due to its strong connotations both to the death of Caesar and Roman high politics – His opponents did not choose this day to kill him at random, after all). And I do love the fact that they are not at all discreet about this part either, seeing as how the artwork for teh record depicts the famous Notre Dame De Paris under siege, with the French flag flying high above the palisades.

All in all, De Republica is an album who knows what it is and what talent that went into it. And as a result, all thirty-seven minutes of it are not only very memorable, but thoroughly enjoyable as well. Definitely a must-have for any fan of modern Black Metal.

https://www.facebook.com/griffonblackmetal