Artist: Moulin Banal
Country: Canada
Label: WolfKult Religion
Formats: Cassette tape
Year: 2025
Moulin Banal was a Black Metal band that hailed from Montréal in the Canadian province of Quebec. During its 6 -year existence it initially consisted of Carabinier Carignan, and Comte Bergaby (the mind behind acts like Kiloton, Adveraire and Gotthammer) who together recorded an EP in 2018 entitled ‘Le Rythme du Maréchal Ferrant’, before they were joined by drummer Traitre Goulding. Together, the three members recorded two albums before folding in 2024: 2020’s ‘De Misère et d’Engelures’, and ‘Sainte-Paix’ in 2024. That latter album now sees its release on tape by WolfKult Religion.
Thematically, the previous releases dealt with the original French settlers of their region of birth, a region once called New France. From 1534 until 1763 the region and much of North America was under French rule and with it came different religions, to be specific Catholicism and the Jesuits. As the band described themselves, ‘Sainte-Paix’ was meant as a poetic magnifying glass inspired on the influence of Catholicism and the Jesuits of New France until the era of modern Quebec.
Fitting with their origins both thematically and musically, Moulin Banal played their Black Metal in the vein of the Métal Noir Québécois movement. With the strong thematical reference and Folk interludes that grace ‘Sainte-Paix’, parallels with the debut album of Forteresse are undeniable. But while a song like ‘La Sainte Paix’ is very much in that vein, one could argue that this last album by Moulin Banal is the least similar to ‘Métal Noir Québécois’ out of their discography. That is in part due the more prominent use of Heavy Metal on ‘Sainte-Paix’, an element that the band had always contained within their sound but that is to be most apparent on this record. Therefore, I’m just as often reminded of the more Heavy Metal-riff based Black Metal from Eastern Europe, and in particular Malokarpatan comes to mind. Compared to the two previous Moulin Banal releases, the vocals are also quite different: the more throaty and slightly guttural sound on ‘De Misère et d’Engelures’ and before has been replaced by a raspier vocal style on ‘Sainte-Paix’. And to top it off, the album has a slightly less sharp guitar sound, resulting in the most organic out of the Moulin Banal recordings.
The result is an album that combines the faster melodies of the Métal Noir Québécois movement infused with more epic Heavy Metal. The sound is rather warm, instead appearing to present a more springlike feeling as opposed to the colder atmosphere on the predecessor. A key element of the music are the folk elements, which are not just restricted to the riffs, but are even more obvious in the interludes that separate the Black Metal tracks. These include instruments like acoustic guitar, flutes, the merlin, the mandolin and the spoon (and yes, this is not quite the same at the piece of cutlery), creating a diverse soundscape that successfully recall a sense of history and nostalgia. And even though these Folky elements are not unique to the Black Metal bands from this region as for instance Forteresse and Brume D’Automne also used them, it does give Moulin Banal a rather distinct sound.
The warm and uptempo Black Metal with an epic Heavy Metal base and Pagan and Folk elements is certainly worthy of the Métal Noir Québécois brand. It may not have been released by the leading label for that subgenre, the Canadian Sepulchral Productions, but in essence, conviction and love for their native province of Quebec, Moulin Banal fits right in. Needless to say, if that style of Black Metal enamors you, definitely check this swansong of Moulin Banal out.
