woops
MUSIC THREAD
Jose Walker
James Sullivan
Carré.Ladich.Marchal was conceived by singer/lyricist Olivier Carré and multi-instrumentalist Jack Marchal, both men active in the French Nationalist movements. With the help of Janus's mastermind Mario Ladich on drums, all went to work at Ladich's studio in Rome and recorded "Science & Violence" in just two days before releasing it independently. Olivier Carré sadly met his end in 1994 in a motorcycle accident.
"Science & Violence" serves as a foil to Pink Floyd. Influenced by some of France's notable Prog Rock acts from that era, the material is quite original, combining the psychedelic influences with theatrical lyrics, rockin' grooves and some soaring keyboards. The spacey synthesizers, screeching guitars and French narration wouldn't sound out of place on a Pulsar record whereas other sections are more raw with abrasive electric riffs and acoustic flourishes. Some of the music is characterized by soft electric moves and over-the-top singing lines, surrounded by mellow keyboard themes, building a slight psychedelic atmosphere, which will eventually explode into lovely, melodic soloing with a discreet symphonic base. There are also sporadic, harder runs with the guitars in evidence and an electrified atmosphere.
Two tracks recorded for a planned follow up made it to the 1997 reissue on CD. Sadly, the Prog Rock which made their music memorable was absconded for some sort of Minimal Wave/Minimal Synth. While competent, neither song is half as catchy as The Final Sound's "Genetics." Still, there are few genuine obscurities in Prog Rock left, so it's nice to have something like this still out there, and the political affiliations gives this band a dangerous edge.
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Jordan Thomas
France's Aion (AIΩN) presents a phenomenal fusion of Industrial Rock and Neofolk with some undercurrents of Coldwave and gothy Post-Punk that become much more prominent towards the B-Side.
Aion was a project of Laurent "Bart" Steiner and Stéphane Vadviz. Laurent was connected to Front National de la Jeunesse (FNJ), who helped organize concerts for Rock Identitaire. Aion played one show of note with Vae Victis and In Memoriam.
Perhaps most intriguing is this album's multilingual affair. Apart from their native tongue, two songs are in English along with one in Italian and another in Latin. Per the conventions of the genre, lyrics cover Paganism and Fascist Futurism.
Highlights: "Sous l'orage", "Devotio", "Au milieu des ruines", "Ceux qui vont venir" and "L'ascète et le guerrier - Version 99"
Jeremiah Foster
Aude Mirković (née Bertrand) is a French singer/songwriter who sang in the band Elendil and her solo project Brixia. After music, she earned a law degree from one of France's top law schools and is now a legal scholar and lawyer. Her most controversial views concern her opposition to gay marriage, gay adoption and in-vitro fertilization. Naturally, she's very pro-life.
The band Brixia's first couple releases were a mix of Alt Rock and Dream Pop:
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Aude Bertrand cited The Cranberries as her chief source of inspiration whose lyrics reflected her Roman Catholic faith. The trouble with their first couple albums was the brittle production values. The melodies were there, but the budget wasn't.
Their last couple singles is where they really came into their own in no small part from Julien Beuzard. Wish they'd made one more full-length album in the vein of these. That heavier sound complimented the style well:
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Elendil was a mix of Alternative Rock and Ska:
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Owen Gomez
I liked this one a lot. Especially the final minute or so
Justin Bennett
bread crumb file names
Colton Diaz
Vae Victis has some fascinating credentials such two of their members' previous connection to Ultime Assaut and prominently featuring a female vocalist. Their music blends Celtic themes with hard riffs and folksy instrumentation. The album is a thoroughly fun affair in spite of being somewhat predictable.
The opening track begins with all-too-familiar epic yet whimsical motifs that would sound more at home scoring the opening scene to a forgotten '90s high fantasy RPG. The progressions feel tacked on for the sake of genre aesthetics, but they set the tone for the rest of the EP. All the songs are of an enjoyable length that don't overstay their welcome.
The songwriting here all compliment the themes established by the music. As you would've surmised, our title track is a tribute to the Frankish King who successfully unified all the tribes under one ruler. "La Dame du Lac" goes into Arthurian territory. The sole overtly political track here is "Résistant Gaélique," pleading for a ceasefire between the Irish Nationalists and Ulster Loyalists. Although I do not speak a word of French, our vocalist Carine conveys these lyrics wonderfully with her angelic voice.
The highlight here is the title track with its energetic riffs that convey the narrative. All the other tracks here are much softer and emotive. In the end, you're left yearning for more, but the band provides the satisfying introductory experience for those seeking Nationalist Celtic Rock.
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Clovis EP:
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Xavier Hall
Before getting elected to the Front National's central committee in 1997, Robert Ottaviani began his career here as Ultime Assaut's lead vocalist. He has since attempted to distance himself from his past:
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Decking the cover is an illustration of Arno Breker's "Der Rufer" with classical architecture in the foreground while a massive blaze rises to the sky in the background. Given the music was still predominantly Oi! in spite of the Post-Punk influence, Ultime Assaut clearly had their feet in France's RAC skinhead scene. The lyrics to "La bête immonde" would probably make Streicher proud.
Characteristic of most releases from Rebelles Européens, gritty reverbed rhythms drive the music like their fellow countrymen Légion 88 or Chauves Pourris. The mostly Oi! A-side is a complete drag, and all too many songs string you along with a few neat intros, but then drag you down in the conventional third-rate Oi! you're tired of hearing. The music becomes much more interesting when the album delves deeper into Post-Punk on the B-side. The closer "L.V.F." has some neat Ska strokes while "Chômeur 80" bursts forward with Hardcore energy. Unlike the French pirate vocals of Légion 88's Alain or Kontingent's Laurent, Robert has this intoxicated, off-key moan which ranges from tolerable to grating. "Segneur Barbare" is perhaps his best performance since he keeps it at a volume just above a whisper. The instrumentation helps, too.
Highlights: "Guerriers Païens," "Mon Ami," "Chômeur 80," "Segneur Barbare," "Les Cosaques," "L.V.F"
Cooper King
Formed in Essex around late spring of 1989 by Alex and J, Battle Zone recorded one demo that successfully earned them a deal with Rebelles Européens. Unlike most RAC bands featuring motifs of Vikings, Nordic Gods, Swastikas or Third Reich iconography, Battle Zone instead opted for something a little more menacing. Conscious of the ill effects of drug addiction in the underground, "Way of Death" indicts the drug pushers who poison the youth while "Nation of Sorrow" describes the pains of being a British Nationalist. Despite these themes, Battle Zone steadfastly claimed not to be a political band. In an interview with Last Chance, they never identified as a political band because the band never had a platform from which they operated from. They simply sang about life as they saw it.
Battle Zone have a sense of musical sophistication and songcraft that far outstrips other RAC bands of the era like No Remorse and English Rose. Indeed, some of these songs are so good it makes me wonder why this band are relative unknowns, but then I suppose they were playing in a crowded market. It’s a sophistication that sadly doesn’t cross over into the lyrics department but ho hum. It helps that Battle Zone was produced by Andy DeGray of the Glam band Soho Roses, who made them do 20 takes. This perfectionism alone accounts for the strong musical quality. Equally curious is the producer forcing the band to change the lyrics from "niggers" to "wankers" on "Victimised", which was done for the first 19 takes. On the final take, he must've either gone deaf or simply relented and allowed the band to say how they really felt.
Would you believe an RAC band made its way to BBC airplay? In a move that surprised the band greatly, they heard their played on BBC Radio Essex one Sunday. Sadly, they would never be heard again, but the fact the band got that far is remarkable.
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Matthew Peterson
No Remorse and their charismatic frontman Paul Burnley would spearhead the Second Wave with "This Time the World". While Brutal Attack and Skrewdriver would sing the glories of England and cast the Third Reich as tragic heroes, they rarely made it racial with one notable exception from the early years. Fast forward to 1988 and we have "This Time the World", an album telling you what they thought about Pakistanis, Jews, Blacks and whoever else. Named after George Lincoln Rockwell's book, the music remorselessly embodies the principle of evil. Also significant is that it was the premiere British band on French label Rebelles Européens. Rebelles Européens proudly featured records with emblazoned with Swastikas, Reichsadlers and more.
No Remorse revels in their slur-laced poetry and, all things considered, the music is as memorable as they come, for the worst and best reasons. Has to be heard to be believed. Put simply, "This Time the World" is hate with a beat. The principle of evil made musical. This is an 100% scuzz classic. RAC is something many people listen to out of morbid curiosity, and "This Time The World" has to be one of the ugliest albums ever cut to wax. The liner notes claim that leftist campaigners tried to have this banned. How can rock ‘n’ roll be more fucked up?
Apart from the admittedly badass title track and the all-time favourite "Smash The Reds" many of these songs are probably too intimidating to approach again. But this album is just so horrifyingly, disturbingly evocative - read the lyrics to "Mother England". "Tree of Life", full of imagery depicting a virtuous and almost innocent 'Aryan' family (presumably after an apocalyptic race war) would be creepy… if it wasn't so poorly played. Thankfully, that would be fixed on the rerecording for "The Best of No Remorse"