Let your darkest thoughts guide you to the sound of the debut album by a promising “Second Wave Orchestral Black Metal” band hailing from France.

A musical project which began two years ago at the initiative of a single man, Meddy Beaufils Motte, responsible for the guitars, keyboards and orchestrations, and joined a few weeks later by vocalist and guitarist Jeff Grimal, Bordeaux, France-based Symphonic and Atmospheric Black Metal act Citadel has just released their debut full-length effort, entitled Remember Your Past, a “Second Wave Orchestral Black Metal” feast highly influenced by bands the likes of Emperor, Dimmu Borgir, Der Weg Einer Freiheit and Enslaved. Mixed and mastered by Mathis Delepierre, and displaying a sinister artwork by the band’s own Jeff Grimal, Remember Your Past offers the listener seven tracks which form the personal story of a character with a specific life path, ranging from the common murderer to the spiritual man, while mixing different universes (those being science fiction, fantasy and, of course, reality), therefore showcasing all the talent and passion for heavy music by the aforementioned Jeff and Meddy together with bassist Benoit Gateuil and drummer Léo Isnard.

A beyond cinematic and phantasmagorical Intro sets the stage for Citadel to crush our souls with I See You, where Léo begins his sonic attack armed with his devilish drums, providing Jeff with all he needs to gnarl like a creature form the abyss. In other words, it’s kick-ass old school Black Metal with atmospheric nuances, not to mention how sharp the riffage by Jeff and Meddy sounds. The Cradle of Filth-inspired keys by Meddy ignite the also infernal Look, Your Pathetic Attempts, an imposing composition by those French metallers that lives up to the legacy of primeval Black Metal, with Jeff being once again demonic on vocals, roaring deeply and with tons of hatred in his heart; whereas the rumbling bass by Benoit offers a solid support to the strident guitars by Jeff and Meddy in The Road, where Jeff sounds even more demented on vocals than before, consequently enhancing the song’s obscurity and madness in the name of Atmospheric Black Metal.

Your Choice is simply brutal and dense from the very first second thanks to the thunderous kitchen crafted by Benoit and Léo while Jeff keeps screaming with tons of anger, also showcasing orchestral passages and piercing guitars, followed by Resurection, where a serene, melancholic start suddenly evolves into an instrumental Black and Doom Metal aria led by the intricate beats by Léo (and all that progressiveness permeates the air until the very end). Then back to a more visceral and raw mode the quartet fires sheer insanity through their sonic weapons in You’re a Piece of Shit, with Léo and Benoit punching us in the head mercilessly while Jeff and Meddy bring forward their trademark razor-edged Black Metal riffs. Finally, before all is said and done, there’s time for Citadel to captivate our senses one last time with a sinister Outro, fading into the unknown for our total delight.

Such acid and obscure album made in France can be appreciated in its entirety on YouTube and on Spotify, but of course in order to add it to your personal, devilish collection you should purchase it by clicking HERE and selecting your favorite version of it. In addition, don’t forget to start following Citadel on Facebook for news, tour dates and other nice-to-know details about the band, showing all your support to French Black Metal. Remember Your Past is not just dark or evil, but a musical representation of all the talent that emanates form those four metallers, and of course the insanity and obscurity from the human mind. In other words, simply join Citadel in their quest for extreme music, and let your darkest thoughts guide you while enjoying the epic Black Metal blasted by the band throughout their infernal debut opus.

Best moments of the album: Look, Your Pathetic Attempts, The Road and You’re a Piece of Shit.

Worst moments of the album: Resurection.

Released in 2022 Cold Dark Matter Records/Duality Records/Enter the Void Records

Track listing
1. Intro 2:10
2. I See You 4:01
3. Look, Your Pathetic Attempts 4:59
4. The Road 7:44
5. Your Choice 6:11
6. Resurection 6:45
7. You’re a Piece of Shit 5:04
8. Outro 5:32

Band members
Jeff Grimal – vocals, guitars
Meddy Beaufils Motte – guitars, keyboards, orchestrations
Benoit Gateuil – bass
Léo Isnard – drums