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Glaciation is one of many newish French black metal bands that is pumping some new blood into a scene that was on the decline, quality-wise, for a few years and slowly reclaiming its throne. Their third album, Ultime éclat, does not disappoint.

Glaciation sound like their name implies: This is bone-chilling cold black metal with a grim and melancholic atmosphere that makes it easy to imagine being in front of a vast expanse of icy landscapes with no end in sight. The vocals are harsh and tortured, reminding me a little of Baise Ma Hache in terms of aggressiveness, and they really add a sense of angst and helplessness to the overall vibe of the album. The music is heavy and busy, with fast headbanging passages mixed with crushingly slow bits that will pin the listener in place, with an epic delivery throughout. This reminds me a lot of 2000s French black metal, but with a more actualized approach that doesn't make it sound like they're just rehashing metal from 20 years ago. Ultime éclat has a lot of hidden corners in its 50+ minutes running time and warrants multiple listens, which is not all that hard to do since it's so damn addictive.