RüYYn – Chapter II – The Flames, The Fallen, The Fury

Written by on 11-01-2024 at 22:45.

Cold, colder, coldest – that’s how you could aptly describe the EP of this French ensemble RüYYn. With this album Romain Paulet presents the sequel, a second chapter. After the self-titled EP, a bit more variety seems to be on offer on Chapter II – The Flames, The Fallen, The Fury. However, that’s not quite the case, as looking at the six song titles, the variety likely lies in the artwork, lyrics, and of course, the music. We also know that the band – originally a one man outfit – has made many a stage unsafe, mainly in his homeland. When performing Mr. Paulet is accompanied by, among others, the drummer from label and compatriots Lunar Tombfields, Äaerzerath.

The black metal from this gentleman hasn’t lost any of its chill, I can tell you this much. Neither did RüYYn have the intention to change record labels. Like a snow-covered ancient oak, it stands firm on the ground of the French quality label Les Acteurs De L’Ombre productions.

An icy wind jerks and jolts against the hundred-year-old, snow-covered oak, yet it hardly moves. In typical French tradition, Mr. Paulet showcases his simple yet at times innovative black metal. In the opening track, he does so by having the guitar themes cover each other up like a winter snow blanket. At another instance, at the end of that first track, he strikes scorchingly hard with a majestic, melodic riff. In Part II, he plays with various drum dynamics, leaving me astonished with finely woven, intricate drumming. Let this second track carry you away with its clean vocals and the slightly experimental guitar play showing itself from its most mournful side.

Walking, or rather trudging, through meters of thick snow and ice layers, you discover further the music of RüYYn. From a distance, Part V trickles towards you in a somewhat peculiar manner. Nevertheless, this track is also pulled along by a primordially strong riff and a lightly clattering, exceptionally well-tuned bass. Steaming and pounding the final track, Part VI, kicks off. It’s worth noting that not only the guitar themes are well thought out; the vocals are of a particularly high standard as well. They can be described as delightfully rudimentary, gruff, and ice-cold.

Chapter II – The Flames, The Fallen, The Fury by the French ensemble RüYYn has become a very strong melodic black metal record. However, compared to the 2021 EP, not much has changed. Yet, on a musical level, it all seems deeper and more elaborated. Well done!

Score:

85/100

Label:

Les Acteurs de l'Ombre Productions, 2023

Tracklisting:

  1. Part I
  2. Part II
  3. Part III
  4. Part IV
  5. Part V
  6. Part VI

Line-up:

  • Romain Paulet – Vocals, all instruments

Links: