Cauchemar (French for Nightmare)
is a French-Canadian heavy metal/mystical doom band from Lac-Simon, Quebec (a
town near Montreal). Formed in 2007, they are led by the charismatic Annick
Giroux on vocals with François Patry on guitar, Andres Arango on bass, and Joël
Ladouceur on drums. What’s special about this band is that they sing in French
when the majority of metal bands in Quebec choose to sing in English to get
more exposure and reach a larger audience. Their brand of metal is traditional
and their doom is mystical, giving them a unique sound. Their influences range
from Black Sabbath, of course, to Witchfinder General, Pentagram, and Pagan Altar.
You can also clearly hear echoes of NWOBHM throughout their output.
They released their first EP
titled La Vierge Noire (The Black
Virgin) in 2010 to critical acclaim. They followed it up with a terrific first
LP in 2013 titled Tenebrario. It’s
full of doom and gloom and evokes images of Italian Giallo movies from Maestros
Dario Argento, Mario Bava, Lucio Fulci, and Sergio Martino. Their third album which
came out in 2016, Chapelle Ardente
(Fiery Chapel), solidified their status as a band that can hold their own against
the best doom and metal bands from coast to coast, regardless of language
barriers. Earlier this summer they released their latest record, Rosa Mystica, which may very well be
their best yet. I recently wrote about the album on the blog. Cauchemar put on
a stellar show in Montreal a few weeks ago at Piranha Bar for the Rosa Mystica album launch. The event was
filmed in its entirety and is available for your viewing/listening pleasure at
the YouTube link below.
Cauchemar is a band that we
Canucks have many reasons to be proud of. On top of delivering awesome music,
they seem like a really nice, down-to-earth bunch. I’m certain their star will
keep shining brighter and brighter in the years to come. Kudos to them for continuing
to sing in French and giving us so many memorable songs. Here’s hoping they
embark on a tour and play in Montreal again soon as they are a treat to see
live. Give them a spin, whether you understand French or not, I’m sure your
ears will be delighted.
Cauchemar on Bandcamp: https://cauchemar.bandcamp.com/
Cauchemar on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cauchemarmetal
Cauchemar Live at Piranha Bar on YouTube
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