What our beautiful Limburg and Northern France have in common lies buried deep beneath the earth—the dark, dusty mines where generations toiled, their lungs filled with dust, and where even today, people still die from the lasting effects of that exhausting labor.
Galibot, the nickname for the children from poor families who were sent into the darkness to extract fossilized fuel, has also been the name of a Northern French Black Metal band since 2021. After their 2022 debut demo Wallers-Arenberg, they now return with their debut album.
After the intro Le Galibots, which tells the story of the children, the violence erupts with Cheval de Fosse, featuring a tight production that sounds very convincing. Agathe Boulanger’s vocals are particularly strong, aggressive, and clear. My knowledge of the French language is non-existent, but this sounds really good.
With clear influences of both Black Metal as well as Thrash and Death Metal, Courrières is a highly dynamic track. The tempo is fast, and the conviction is there—this sounds a bit different from the typical Scandinavian clone.
The track Barbara almost feels like an anthem, and for me personally, they hit the nail on the head with what I enjoy in a song.
Also, on Le Nords, the tempo is again nicely high, and Agathe screams her lungs out. The anger over the conditions in the old mines is clearly palpable, and the fact that this is their theme makes it even more interesting.
With Euch’Mau Noir, Galibot manages to magnificently wrap a very dark piece of French exploitation in a Black Metal cloak. Their self-released album is available on CD via their Bandcamp, and I say, buy it.
85/100