Artist: Archaic Blood
Country: France
Label: Hidden Marly Production / Southern Rampart
Formats: Demo Tape / Demo CD
Year: 2026
Although there’s basically nothing that I can tell you about Archaic Blood or the only person behind the band, but if I understood it well, ‘Reclaiming The Ancient Spirit’ is meant as a true homage to A.S.’s forebearers of French Black Metal. That alone is enough for me to be interested, and, why not start with some sort of conclusion: A.S. succeeded with flying colours in making the Gods of old French Black Metal proud.
First things first. There isn’t really such a thing as typical French Black Metal. I mean, Deathspell Omega doesn’t exactly sound like Anorexia Nervosa and Blut Aus Nord isn’t quite Vlad Tepes. Although most contemporary Black Metal bands that cite French Black Metal as one of their primary influences are in fact referring to the pioneering work of the bands associated with Les Légions Noires, Archaic Blood focuses more on bands like Kristallnacht, Seigneur Voland, and Osculum Infame. A rather infamous group of French bands that, despite their controversial ideology and background, seem to be gaining renewed attention in recent years.
Given the use of riffs that aren’t overly aggressive, plenty of dynamics, and fairly prominent keyboards, the comparison to Kristallnacht is perhaps the most apt. But because of this musical balance, it’s also not surprising to think of Polish bands, which brought a similar sense of pride and a triumphant sound to the table around the same time. Archaic Blood certainly shares similarities with bands like Infernum, Fullmoon, and especially Veles. That slightly proud, pagan-tinged vibe is something that comes across well in the heroic-sounding keyboards and strong, powerful vocals.
A.S. proves to be a gifted songwriter who, with the aforementioned dynamism and a highly developed sense of dramaturgy and atmosphere, makes a particularly strong first impression. ‘Reclaiming The Ancient Spirit’ comes highly recommended.
