I have not been shy about my adoration for Fallen Empire. Ever since stumbling across the two cassette compilation from SVN-OKKLT, which showcased some fantastic underground black metal including Death Fortress, Witch in Her Tomb, Axis of Light, and Eos, I have been a fan and activley camped out in front of the office doors. Since that compilation, Fallen Empire has released a tremendous amount of material that included the full length from Death Fortress, the massively underrated Premonicion De Guerra by Lluvia, and now a demo from Eos. 2014 seems to be a good year for the Quebec based Eos. What little information is available for this act only adds to the mystery, as their debut demo L’Avalé is one of the better black metal releases of the year.

L’Avalé is just short of a full length release at 30 minutes. In fact, in the realm of black metal the line between demo and full length is sort of blurred. I do not know if Eos will ever put out a full length but the potential for further material is displayed with vigor in L’Avalé. With the opening and closing track reaching past ten minutes, the landscape of withering ferocity is outstanding. Additionally, the anonymous soul who provides vocals is well crafted and shares similarities with that of a swamp witch or maybe a mountain hag. Within those blasts of heat and cries lies a melange of torment, catharsis, and distilled hate. Eos’s instrumentation not only provides a flat blanket of grey, but also interesting additions like the guitar squeals in “Distopie.” Though the album’s single “Kartharis” is 7 minutes long, it provides a short look at the heights the demo truly reaches. This is a demo for 2014 that far surpasses full lengths released in the same year.

Everything about L’Avalé is more than worth the time and energy spent looking for it. Beyond the aesthetic of anonymous black metal exists a band capable of creating music that is emotionally arresting. Eos makes black metal in a way that is interesting and emotionally exhausting. This is not everything black metal is about but rather one style done with 100% effective effort. The whole record shines from front to back, giving assurance that the material from Fallen Empire is incapable of disappointment.