Cultes des Ghoules - Häxan (2008)

Conjuration begins
The Head speaks, black candles
Blood of a child and its bones
Necklace and black robes
Sacrifice for the Devil
Corruption and Depravity
This soul is sold… He has won…

Taking the form of ritual set to music, Cultes des Ghoules’ Häxan takes musical inspiration from myriad occult acts from the late 80s and early 90s, crossing the fiery path between the Czech, Greek, Italian, and Polish legends of witchcraft and sorcery and the Satanic cult of Mayhem and the more recent derivations thereof. This is an album that rests comfortably in the traditions set forth by bands such as Samael, Mayhem, Mortuary Drape, Necromantia, Barathrum, Countess, Rotting Christ, Root, Xantotol, Taranis, and Necros Christos, though they mimic nobody, forging a sound of their own which is an extension of what has already come to pass through the dedicated work of the aforementioned.

Having been enlightened by such bands as have already been cited, it is little surprise to find aesthetic similarities between them, in particular the thunderous driving bass of Necromantia and Barathrum and the dark, murky production of their countrymates in the ancient Polish cults such as Taranis. The music of Cultes des Ghoules seeks to envelop the listener into the motions of the ritual, trance inducing passages giving way to the bottom heavy and, dare it be said, catchy grooving riffs which played such a role in the works of so many of the aforementioned acts. There is a loose energy at times here that reminds of A Blaze in the Northern Sky, while at other times Häxan reminds of All the Witches Dance if stripped of its 80s heavy metal sentimentality and its Romantic sense of mysticism and replaced with the truly dark and malevolent. The drumming takes on greater vigour and intensity as it works to flesh out the ideas hinted at by the guitars, relishing in its own power of evoking energy and dictating the direction of each passage, while at the same time respecting its subservient role as the instrument most suited to constructing the certain rhythmic patterns that would be of service to some dark master. It is a ritualized style of drumming capable of ceremoniously conjuring the ancient demons and evil spirits awaiting their turn to serve their lord.

The sights and sounds of mediaeval witchcraft and sacrifice fill the album, engrossing the listener into the aesthetic experience. The album is marked by images of sacrificial daggers and various human remains, primarily skulls, arranged in preparation for a ritual to begin. The intent is for the listener to be prepared to give himself over to the mystique and resonant aestheticism of the recording as the protagonist too gives himself over to witchcraft and the occult. It’s not entirely clear whether the lyrics follow a cohesive narrative or merely touch on similar themes throughout, though the latter seems to be the case. Nevertheless, Häxan is the name of a female witch in a 1920s film of the same name, from which this album is at least partly inspired, though certain hints suggest the lyrics are not necessarily derived from the movie. In “Baptised by Barron,” the protagonist laments that “My blood is getting old / But the spirit still desires the blasphemy.” He is baptized by “The Witch” in a ritual act of infanticide, their blood providing “vigour and communion.” The cries of an infant are heard amidst the ritualized beating of the drums, out of which emerges, broodingly, the realization of the desire in the protagonist to be a part of the witchery as the ceremony for his conversion begins by the “blade of Braquemard / The tool of His glory.”

It is for this purpose that these rituals are performed and to which Häxan is committed, in the praise and worship of Satan. It is the aural dedication of worship to the devil and a commitment to work toward his return, as in “The Covenant and the Sacrifice:”

Bell rings the witching hour
The blood was shed
The child was slain
Through those deeds He rises...

Scholomance, the Devil’s school of black magic, is praised in the song of the same name. It is the place “only born to darkness…when the Devil in Flesh / claims new scholars.” Those who emerge from this hidden school deep within “the heart of mist-covered mountains / by a small lake immeasurably deep” are among the greatest disciples of the Devil and most loyal practitioners of his work. What Cultes des Ghoules has produced here is a manifestation of these occult lessons for which only the select are fit to digest, the initiated already familiar with the work of those practitioners who came before.

It is “The Impure Wedding” that is at the heart of the band’s ambitions, the culmination of the ritual for which the preceding chapters are preparation. This is the ultimate sacrifice, the ritual of transcendence, bestowing upon the victim the capability to see “beyond the veil / The world without end.” The vocal iterations take on a new manifestation, one of impatience and earnest as the knowledge of the end drawing near looms overhead. The music too reflects this anxiety as the tension between trance and energy reaches its climax. The passage beginning about six minutes into the song is particularly striking, perhaps the most poignant moment on the entire album, hearkening toward the legacies of bands such as Necromantia and Barathrum, reveling in a spellbinding melody that freezes the listener in his footsteps. The song continues to go on, trading off musical and lyrical references acting in unison, the music portraying the tone of the lyrical matter as the message corresponds to the energy of the chords being struck.

The sounds of sacrifice overcome, and the last few minutes of the album are dominated by the screams of a dying woman unwillingly contributing to the services of the Devil. The ritual is complete, and the message is uttered until exhaustion as this chapter in the ancient book of Cultes des Ghoules comes to a close. Engrossing is the ceremony contained herein, leaving the dedicated listener drained, yet invigorated by the experience. It is a tonic for the soul attuned to the darker side of life, a cleansing ritual, removing the poisons of the modern world with a sobering lesson into the extremes of the occult. Foolish as Satanism may be, it continues to serve as a lasting metaphor for the recognition of the toxins in our society and a reminder to nourish the self in a world hellbent on ‘spiritual’ starvation of the soul, that thing that makes us who we are.