Band: END OF MANKIND
Country: France
Title: Antérieur à la lumière
Label: Mallevs Records / Vomit Records
Year: 2020
Style: Black Metal

Review:
Oh man, the intro of this album sets the tone for what's going to be a sad, depressive music, but once that's over End of Mankind dive into some frantic, hateful Black Metal that's completely taking the listener by surprise, and the good thing is the surprises are not over, actually they are just taking a bit of shape. The first track after the intro is so complex I can't believe it, listen to this: at it's core is fast, hateful Black Metal, but the band adds passages and elements of Hardcore (drumming at some point), Metalcore (vocals that is added to any Metalcore band wouldn't sound suspect one bit), Death Metal (some brutal riffs that are somewhere right in between Thrash and Death Metal) and Post Metal (the ending is right from that territory). Yet what's mindblowing is how natural and obvious it all sounds, you're like: "pff, I knew that's going to be there". And this continues throughout the whole album, the band blatantly adding and enhancing all sort of influences (hell, on the seventh track, Opponent Deity, there's even a sexy sax your girlfriend will go nuts for - or go for your nuts, whatever; or even some Synthwave-inspired guitar ! passages, or at least they sound to me like Synthwave inspired). Don't get me wrong, this is not some bullshit "I don't know where I'm heading to" material, the band is perfectly conscious and dedicated about their target; we're dealing here with venomous, tensioned, energetic Black Metal, but with so much on the side it makes it amazing, it makes it well worth your time if you're into something more than the usual riffs, blastbeats and shrieks. The production is top notch, allowing the listener to taste each and every bit of this album, and that's extremely important as there are some minor details all over that makes the album the behemoth that it actually is. I have to admit I was doing something else while listening to this album for the first time and it kind of slipped by me, but at the second audition I paid attention and I discovered it in full, so my recommendation is to actually be attentive while listening, you'll maybe get the same experience as I had. 
Wow, I'm impressed, amazing album, amazing band!
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 10/10

Contact:
endofmankind.bandcamp.com
mallevsrecords.bigcartel.com
facebook.com/vomitrecs