HYRGAL « Serpentine » : the LP version is out now

We are proud to release the LP version of HYRGAL’s first album « Serpentine » .

Hyrgal was formed in 2007 by the guitarist/vocalist Clément Flandrois (Pillars, Oorthian, ex-Svart Crown) with the help of Quentin Aberne (Carcolh, ex-Sun Preachers, ex-Marble Chariot) as a bass player and Thibault Meunier (ex-Otargos) on drums.
They released their first Demo on a split album with Kairn (acoustic project of the former Otargos guitarist, Julien Savy). They then has been the opening act for bands such as Wolves in the Throne Room, Year of No Light, Otargos…
Later, the band has been on hold, in 2010, for personnal reasons, and Clément joined Svart Crown as a full time guitarist.
In 2016, Clément decided to take back the project with a new drummer, Emmanuel Zuccaro (Oorthian, ex-Karne, ex-Sulphureign) with whom he get in touch since 2012, and Quentin, still playing bass.

Hyrgal pops out from Clement Flandrois’ desire, also known for its former work with Svart Crown, a decade ago. Even if the line up went through some ups and downs, it now proudly bears its slough with this first album as an ornament : Serpentine. Its black metal free from artifices directly goes under the patronage of primal forces, shaking the fragile human structure. It inherit a duality between the rampancy of natural disasters and the peaceful simplicity of melodic parts. We go through this album as if we were in the vast alpine landscape that inspired the album : searching for an original power stirring up at the same time a genuine fear and a irrepressible fascination.

About Serpentine

Serpentine is the first album of  Hyrgal. Heathen, organic and personnal; deeply dedicated to the roots and the old expressions of the Dark Art.The Alpine Spirit, and the folklore inherited from french past legacies are the main influences on this album. The full length “Serpentine” has then been recorded DIY at the Southern Ritual Studio during December 2016 and January 2017, the mixing and mastering has been performed by Déhà at the HH studio in May 2017.

Composition & lyrics by Clément Flandrois
Arrangements by Hyrgal
“L’Appel”: Composition & Arrangements by Emmanuel Zuccaro
“Rite” : Composition & Arrangements by Déhà

Artwork : Photo by Fabrice Flandrois (29/11/1956 – 10/08/2012). Hand Drawing artworks by Le chien noir

Words from the label manager, Gérald:
“Would you believe it if I told you we almost missed out on this fantastic band …
For the anecdote, JB from Svart Crown sent me, during summer 2017, some tracks from Serpentine as a preview because he thought this album will perfectly fit with LADLO. Back then, I was in a personal torment, and I did not put much intention on this proposition, moreover our 2018 planning was already full. Yet, back from the 2017 Tyrant Fest, Tony from RLHT talked to me, in the most flattering way, about this album, released shortly before on Naturmacht Productions on CD. Clément (mastermind of Hyrgal, and ex-Svart Crown) shared those track with him when RLHT played at Marseille, in Fall 2017. This made my mouth water that much that I had to listen to the album as soon as possible : the next morning I contacted the band and asked the team what they thought about it. It was a general crush, it did not took much time to find some place for them in our planning, even if we could only produced the vinyl. You know that we prefer producing all format, but we really wanted to work on this album, and we hope that this is a first step to a long collaboration.

Words will never replace music, and the best thing for you to make up your mind is to listen to this awesome Serpentine. You will surely be touched, as I have been, by this energy, this primitive strength, almost instinctive, that hit you straight in the face like a tsunami. It is striking while offering in the same time smart compositions leading you through different atmospheres. I love everything on this album, from the French exacerbate singing to the subtle and perfectly placed lyrics, from the amazing riffs to the heavy and dissonant atmosphere, from the ever-present drums to its place in the sound spectrum.

A first try, yet very mature, that already makes this album a special one that we are extremely proud to share with you. “

Some reviews…

From the UK on WonderboxMetal 

« For the most part Serpentine is fast and cold, ferociously grim with a core of blackened darkness. Atmospheric components and esoteric melodies are built around this central streak of blackness, providing a musical framework that worships at the orthodox black metal altar, while also offering a modern take on the classic style.

From the USA  on Grizzly Buts

« ‘Serpentine’ has as many volcanic wall-of-sound moments that are blasted-through as it does quiet, or at least thoughtfully riffed, ones. »

From Germany on Metalglory   

« Das alles ist französischer Black Metal, wie wir ihn kennen und lieben: so typisch wie eigenständig, so großartig wie einzigartig. Man muss dafür bereit sein, und wird dann umso mehr belohnt mit Tiefe, Relevanz und zeitloser Schönheit. »

From France on Mithra temple zine

‘Hyrgal s’était tapi dans son antre pour engendrer ce qui se voit être l’une des plus belles sorties du black metal français en 2017.’

and on Xsilence

« un feeling rare qui positionne le groupe directement parmi les représentants les plus intéressants actuels du Black Métal tricolore »

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