Portrait of Defiance

Jack Botos

1221 N. Johnson Street

South Bend, IN 46628

What we have here is a fierce and unpredictable beast driven by suffering to destroy Christian ethics and to hold high the banner OLD Death/Black Metal. I am not exaggerating in the least bit by declaring MESSE NOIR one of the best Black metal bands the United States has to offer. I think I can say without argument that this bands riffs are in so many ways similar to Immortal, a comparison that can be meant as a compliment. The guitars however are the only element comparable to Immortal or the entire Norwegian scene for that matter. The frantic snare blasts and violent use of the cymbals gives this band such a chaotic edge that so many American Black Metal bands lack. The drumming on this 4-song demo is very reminiscent of the Canadian Grind scene(Kataklysm, Crytopsy, etc.): yes , this drummer is that good. And to give their sound more depth, gruff Death Metal vocals in the vein of young Glen Benton replace a high pitched shriek or raspy scream it seems most other bands feel necessary. All lovers of extreme metal absolutely must witness the untamable musical fury that is MESSE NOIR. This band will undoubtedly go far, so seize the opportunity to hear them in their formative stage. As much as I want to give this a 10, I do have one minor complaint. The demo’s production is very good, but the kick drum is almost completely inaudible. As good as this drummer is an instant classic that you shouldn’t miss out on.9 1/2.

MIDWEST METAL

120 Broadview Vill. Sq. Suite 406

Broadview, IL 60153

Very creative death/black metal. Vocals remind me of a mix of Glen Benton with the waaaaa’s and the dude from Kataklysm and Acheron’s Vincent Crowley. All four songs focus on the Anti-Christ and Satan. It’s Tolerable. What’s good about this is that this isn’t musically the same as what’s out there now. It’s not another Norwegian sounding band. The more known Messe Noir become, the more they can be known as a band that has their own sound. Dissection, Merciful Fate and Deicide all focus on similar topics, but have drastically different sounds. A point which all bands should note, on a whole, this demo was cool.

Black Goat Zine

Eryk Diablo

P.O. Box 6287

Anaheim, CA 92816

Pure destruction and intense satanic grinding death metal, the lyrics delivers satanic demoniac power combined with music influenced by early bands such as Deicide, Incantation and even Blasphemy.

ILL LITERATURE

P.O Box 480275

Los Angeles, CA 90048

The pulse of the world beats in chaos. Without it , it would be a fantasy place of serenity, virtue and good. With a hand on the heart which pumps life’s blood throughout the veins of the world is Connecticut’s Messe Noir a nasty blue-black clot lingering below the surface of the skin-visible dangerous threatening ugly. Of four perilous tracks here, two are re-recorded, “Excommunicated” and “Heralds of Pestilence” from their savage 95’ demo with Passage to Tchort and Messe Noir new fangs in the maw of black death metal. Unlike chaos, which can be tranquil in its course of harm, the trio leave no breath to labor easily, no restful interludes to beckon unruffled composure and no feeble endurance to be destroyed in the eye of the unbridled storm.

ascendance

P.O. Box 32

29250 Nakkila

Finland

Messe Noir are an intense black/death metal 3-piece worth 2 years of existence. Very tight, very evil and too messy(also for the sound) for ones into relaxing music! They say it’s non-repetitive and are right. M.N. surely can play well fast and vocals do many lines of occult lyrics. Wild stuff!! Vocals are pretty demonic low grunts also screaming hostile parts. They’re looking for a deal and it’d be a real blast to hear the upcoming debut album!

The Grimoire of Exalted Deeds

245 Lakeview Ave Suite 237

Clifton, NJ 07011

a past issue of the grimoire these guys didn’t get so great a review. The main gripe was the production. But not long after that bad review was printed, I actual went up to Connecticut to see a show. Messe Noir was on the bill. When they came on it took only 20 seconds to shit my pants! What the fuck! There must have been a mistake! This could not be the same band that sent me the demo I slammed....After some questions I was made aware that , yes this was the same band. So I felt like a real asshole because I was too stupid to look past the bad production and see the savage music for what it was. ( I still would have complained about the production, though) Their last demo does not have this problem. The production brings it all to me. The song structure are interesting in that the same riffs do not come back as choruses. There’s absolutely no repetition. To me, that’s very cool “fuck you” to trend fags. The drummer rages like a true madman. Vocals are rather original-sounding. They’re the kind that you would hear from necromancer who must recite his evocation before the demon materializes, but who has grown so horrified at what he has began to see that his voice is full of terror while at the same time trying to maintain authority over the infernal being

Coroners Report.

565 Drexel Ave

Glencoe, IL 60011

This caught me by surprise. My blackish expectations were partly liberated as I began to listen. the vocals sound much like IL’s Slough, a rather nasally and raspy growl sound to it, but not that polished, Scott Burns crunch. The music is collectively chaotic, with timeless blast and eccentric tempo changes that cause your head to swivel in a circle as big as the equator. Not your average black metal. Very effective riffs combine with diverse drum arrangements to form a nice little soundtrack for destruction and pestilence.

237 S. 8th Street

Lebanon, PA 17042

Website: http://members.xoom.com/brutalized/

Here we have some very fast, chaotic frenzied mixture of black/death metal, leaning towards the black metal sound. While the overall sound of the 4 song demo is pretty good, it has that raw feeling to it, if you know what I mean. Musically, Messe Noir are adapt to their instruments, creating 3 manic whirlwinds of speed with some odd time changes that caught me off guard and I found interesting. The vocals in particular stood out for me, coming across as very hateful and effective. There is also some fairly powerful drumming on this. While I would say that this is good, all 4 songs rage in the same fashion and intensity, that there is no distinguishing one song from another, almost similar to the blurring grind-like fashion. What they offer is fast, tight and violent, but my opinion, to create a stronger, lasting impression on the listener I would recommend a little more variety on their next effort.

2843 East Grand River Ave, Suite 200

East Lansing, MI 48823

Al-Slavicsky

Extremely hard, brutal black metal with a flair of grind. Messe Noir mutilates the sound of their instruments and molds it into a destructive massacre of pure raw evil. Lyrically, their songs are devoted to demons and the bleakness of the world. Four tracks of unleashed terror which slowly mangles your mind. Only problem is the vocals are drowned out by the music.

Explicitly Intense ‘Zine

130 harkness Ave #3

Pasadena, CA 91106

This recording brought back a lot of fond memories of earl Morbid Angel and present day Deicide. The music played on this tape is anti-Christian/semi-satanic death/grind at its most blasphemous. The thunderous grind beats, and myriad of different riffs are powerful enough to set any church ablaze! The vocals aren’t the typical death growls, but morbid enough to kill the devil himself. These guys are proficient players and are onto something different if satanic themes don’t hold them back, since they’ve been rehashed a million times.

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Messe Noir Possessed Souls