This French duo, Dysylumn, has just released their fourth album, Abstraction. As with their previous works – specifically Occultation (2018) and Cosmogonie (2020) – this latest effort is once again brought out under the Signal Rex label. Anyone who has followed my reflections over the years will no doubt be aware of my deep appreciation for the French school of black metal, which has a rich and storied tradition. That being said, Dysylumn has received little to no coverage here thus far. Where the band was previously characterized by longer compositions, particularly evident on their last release, they now take a more concise approach, clocking in at under forty minutes. That, however, can hardly be considered a fault.
The entire mixing and mastering process took place at T R V V M W X L T Studios, and for the drum recordings, the band enlisted the expertise of Hjalti Þór Kristjánsson. All of this is intriguing in itself. I haven’t been able to pinpoint the exact location of the studio, and Kristjánsson (an Icelandic sound engineer) is, as many of you will already have guessed, a figure of some repute. Unfortunately, I was unable to unearth further details on either, which is a shame, as it has only piqued my interest in this band even further.
I can certainly understand why these two Frenchmen, who together form Dysylumn, chose to work with an Icelandic drum engineer. From the very first notes, the opening strike, you are enveloped in a sense that their frostbitten black metal erupts like molten lava from a volcano. It is blisteringly hot and surges through the sonic landscape with unrelenting vigour. Thin, spectral lead melodies and tightly measured drumming carve a similar path. The result is a dynamic interplay between narratively charged screams and more robust growls. What emerges is a fusion of the finest elements from both the French and Icelandic schools. Something I have seldom encountered in the black metal world. It is, if one may say so, almost refreshing.
At well-placed intervals throughout the record, the heavier Icelandic influences wash over you. Just listen to the opening measures of Abstraction III. Each track on this album radiates brimstone and feels like a boiling, molten mass—meticulously conceived down to the smallest detail. Whether delivered at breakneck speed or at a slower, more lumbering pace, as in Abstraction IV,the intent remains intact.The album concludes with its fifth and final chapter, a track lasting over ten minutes. Here, those thin, haunting lead lines return once more, engaging in a compelling and almost combative dialogue with the raw vocal delivery.
I shall certainly revisit the band’s earlier records and attempt to acquire them, ideally in physical format. I strongly encourage you to do the same, as Abstraction, this fourth album by the French duo Dysylumn, stands as a remarkably expressive black metal release. A must-have.
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