Review from Metal Crypt

February 17, 2018
From: Metal Crypt
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 of it. Just the right length and not outstaying its welcome, there is very little that I would consider "filler" – more like a couple of short passages that I could do without, but not long enough to actually annoy (I wish I could say the same of a few other albums on my current playlist...)

Le passage des glaciers is a very slow and heavy album. Norilsk have done an excellent job of marrying the "weight of the world on your shoulders" crushing feeling that I expect from doom and a very melodic vibe. The result is an aural experience that tears you apart because it's so depressing and beautiful at the same time. The vocals are mostly light death growls that are easily decipherable (if you understand French anyway) along with some whispered passages that I found added a bit of "mystery" (for lack of a better word) to the atmosphere. Ultimately, I find it relaxing and, yes, there are even a few bits that are catchy and get the foot tapping. Here's hoping that Norilsk will be around for a while.

Rating: 4/5
Reviewed by: Michel Renaud
 

Review from Friedhof Magazine

January 15, 2018
From: Friedhof Magazine
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...

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Review from Vampster

January 15, 2018
From: Vampster
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...

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Review from No Clean Singing

December 20, 2017
From: No Clean Singing
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...

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Review from The Metal Observer

December 13, 2017
From: The Metal Observer
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...

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Review from The Sound Not the Word

December 12, 2017
From: The Sound Not The Word
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...

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Review from Ave Noctum

December 6, 2017
From: Ave Noctum 
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 ...

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Review from Itdjents

December 2, 2017
From: Itdjents
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...

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Review from Exclaim!

December 2, 2017
From: Exclaim!
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...

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Review from Echoes and Dust

November 20, 2017
From: Echoes and Dust
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...

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 Released: November 24, 2017
500 Copies
Genre: Blackened Doom/Death Metal

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