Published: February 11, 2018

I'm not big on doom metal and more often than not I skip those promos and leave them to the other reviewers, but this time I noticed that Norilsk was yet another local band, from Gatineau, Quebec (just across the river from here), that has been flying below my radar. I was also interested to hear what doom would sound like in French.

This paid off as this is an album that I've been listening to for a while now and I just can't get tired...

Published: January 5, 2018

Norilsk presentaron su primer álbum, "The Idea of North" en 2015, justo un año después de haber debutado con el EP "Japetus". Este año han vuelto con "Le Passage des Glaciers", y he de admitir que tanto el título de este último trabajo como el nombre que eligieron para el grupo (Norilsk es una ciudad rusa, ubicada concretamente en Siberia) les vienen a las mil maravillas. El sonido de este grupo de Death/Doom (aunque también...

Published: January 1, 2018

Als wäre es in ihrer kanadischen Heimat (gerade) nicht kalt genug, so haben sich NORILSK nach der nördlichsten Großstadt der Welt benannt. Und der Darkened Death-Doom Metal versucht ebendiese kalte Trostlosigkeit der russischen Industriestadt zu vermitteln. Passend dazu der kühle Titel des aktuellen Albums: „Le passage des glaciers“. Doch das zweite Album des kanadischen Duos überrascht, als dass die Melodie keineswegs zu kurz komm...

Published: December 19, 2017

NCS published the interview with Norilsk’s main man Nicolas Miquelon about two years ago, when the duo (its second half being Nick Richer, drums, backing vocals) appeared with the first full-length The Idea Of North.

This band is located in Québec but was named after a Russian city placed in Northern Siberia and known for its heavy industry and hostile environment. Such a name suits the band well, for they tend toward heavy dist...

Published: December 12, 2017

Canada’s Norilsk were formed in 2012, naming themselves after Siberia’s northernmost city, which a quick Google search reveals to be one of the most polluted cities in the world. The band’s promotional material tells us that Norilsk is home to a famous heavy metal smelting complex, which may go some way to explain the choice of moniker. The band consists of two members, Nic Miquelon and Nick Richer and they play Doom/Death...

Published: December 10, 2017

Rooted in the death-doom sounds of old, the music of Norilsk is that of cold spirits and desolate nights. Though not a concept album per se, Le Passage des Glaciers none-the-less feels as if it is telling a story of mourning and loss through its unfolding soundscapes. This is a journey in to the depths of winter, where the snow soon covers any traces that you ever dared ventured in to these realms. As emotionally crushing as...

Published: December 4, 2017 

French Canadian Duo Norilsk have followed 2015’s “The Idea of North” with 8 slabs of doom death by the name of “Le Passage des Glaciers”  Norilsk is the most northern city in Siberia and allegedly home to a heavy metal smelting plant. That gives you an idea of the sound these guys set out to create.

Think early Paradise Lost or Anathema.  Guttural French vocals over crystal clear guitars and heavy as merde bass riffs.  Into �...

Published: November 26, 2017

December is nearly upon us, and how the year has flown by. Looking back, one is bound to notice what a fantastic year 2017 has been for doom metal and its offshoot sub-genres. From the psychedelia of Elder over Bell Witch’s haunting masterpiece Mirror Reaper to the crushing heaviness of Spectral Voice, this year has indeed seen many truly outstanding doom albums; and now, we can add Le Passage des Glaciers by Norilsk to the list.

Le Pass...

Published: November 24, 2017

French-Canadian purveyors of grief and suffering, Norilsk, return with their latest offering Le passage des glaciers. The album finds the band continuing its cacophonous doom and death metal while introducing elements of black metal and folk music.

 

The album is a dirge from the start; opening with "Midnight Sun," Norilsk sets the stage for a classic wintery doom record. Unlike doom bands who rely on feedback to get their message across, N...

Published: November 20, 2017

Ethnomusicologists have frequently read the significance of place onto various traditions. I’m still not sure about the ethics of that; I think it’s a bit of a reductive move at the very least. But, if we follow R. Murray Schafer, who hails from Canada like Norilsk and who has written several books on acoustic ecology which are must-reads for fans of outré music, we can understand certain works of music as engaging in a relati...

Published: November 20, 2017

French Canadian doom duo Norilsk return from a two-year layoff with a surprising new album, one that gives a reengaged sound to the pair's signature style.

Norilsk's 2015 full length, "The Idea of North," was praiseworthy as a doom record. From its terse moments to unique departures, the album conjured up recollections of some of the better moments of groups like Last Sacrament and a more downtempo Temple of Void. In other words, Nor...

Published: November 11, 2017 

So there I am, huddled in a tiny rustic cabin, trying desperately to keep warm while the wood fire oven slowly warms the room. We are surrounded by squirrel shit, mice, the frozen clearwater river, and a expanse of snowed-in spruce trees. It's dark by now but the candlelight illuminates the only table in the room. Bored, my fiancee opens up to one of her favorite poems 'The Cremation of Sam Mcgee' by Robert W. Service ... So you c...

Published: November 10, 2017 

(Mini-review)

The Quebecois duo of Norilsk sees its return this November as well. It has been a couple of years since they released The Idea of North. The band relies on an icy death-doom that subtly adds touches of sludge. Their impending album, Le Passage des Glaciers, arrives November 24 from Hypnotic Dirge Records. The first available track, named "Nammolennye", captures the frigid aesthetic of the album. Moments of the song c...