Sortilège – Sortilège (1983)

Let’s take a trip to France and see what their glorious metal scene had to offer.  I’m sure all or most of you die-hard metal fans out there already know Sortilège, or maybe just might’ve heard of them, but needless to say, they are indeed the greatest French band that has ever existed.  Period.  Plain and simple. And with their first EP, it is very apparent that these guys surely had the raw talent to take over the world.  This is exactly what metal is supposed to sound like, the scorching head voice vocals, the totally intricate, yet melodic twin guitars, rhythmic bass lines and drumming that make your fist soar higher than ever before.  Oh and did i mention that they sing in french?  This is what we are offered on this EP, and whole lot more.

“Amazone” starts off with a bang, where the slow melody is transformed into a full-out heavy metal anthem.  “Progeniture” may seem like a typical metal song, but if you continue to listen to it, we see a wide range of drum fills, the usage of twin guitars and it showcases Christian Augustin’s amazing vocal range. “Gladiateur” is a the weakest song on the album, but still very much enjoyable, a few hooks here and there.  “Sortilège” is where a true masterpiece is present, as it is considered to be a global metal hymn within the underground scene, and it’s safe to say why, I mean, listen to that chorus!  “Bourreau” finishes the EP quite well indeed, with the use of that riff heard after the intro, which then blisters into a high-tempo metal attack.  This process repeats for most of the song, overlapping Augustin’s angelic voice.  It seems almost impossible for any metal fan to hate this album!

Rating: 95%

Stephane Dumont: Guitars

Christian Augustin: Vocals

Didier Demajean: Guitars

Bob Snake: Drums

Daniel Lapp: Bass