Mort Aux Gueux is a busy project – since 2016, the man behind the black metal concept has been really active releasing 3 EPs and recently a full length album, Beuverie, Musique du Diable et Misère Crasse, and more is to come. The “Gueux” is also busy with his DIY cassette tape label Corde Raide Production. He will also be on stage for “La Messe Des Morts” this November as a live member for “Ifernach.”
You can roughly translate the name to Death To the Beggar if you are curious. Like most of the bands from the French Canadian province of Quebec, he sings in French, has a DIY attitude, and explores themes that are related to the rough environment surrounding him. With his latest effort, Mort Aux Gueux sounds great, but no worries – the music is still raw, some songs were written within an hour, it is just easier to hear all the instruments this time. I’d say what comes out of his music is obviously the voice: a mix between story telling and the last breath of a dying man – no shrieking, just a deep, tortured voice narrating the harsh conditions where the environment is set. There’s no pattern in the music, it is kept simple, but never goes back twice on the same path, I guess like nomads they wander around and every bit of the world is a new adventure. The lyrics and themes depict nihilist views and are against urbanization and the concentration of individuals. A vision where you are the main character of a terrible world that you somehow have to survive. You really have to experience the music; it feels like the last procession of a man crawling through life toward the inevitable death that awaits no matter what you do. The guitar is melodic and strong, it drives the songs and love that the Gueux doesn’t hesitate to add acoustic guitar in a song, it adds variety and emotions that you don’t always get on black metal albums. The drum and the bass have great rhythms and they definitively make the songs heavier.
