Hyver | Shaâtaunoâr | Antiq

Release Date: 25 November 2025

Format: Digital/CD

Genre: Black Metal, Dungeon Synth

Country: France

Hyver started in the French underground as a project devoted to atmospheric black metal with a strong narrative angle. Across two albums, the project shaped a world of winter, folklore, and shadowy imagination. “Shaâtaunoâr” arrives as the third chapter, and it turns Hyver into a guide inside a haunted structure that reacts to the listener’s path. The concept pushes the band into an almost theatrical form of storytelling, supported by the label’s devotion to detailed visual art and carefully crafted releases.

The album is built around a castle that you enter as the main character. Voices from Virginie Ropars or David Thiérrée act as narrators, and the structure grows through branching paths that define your experience inside the halls. When the doors open to a room, Hyver unleashes black metal shaped for exploration and danger. The music has cold guitar lines, synth layers, and steady rhythmic movement that brings images of dark corners, high ceilings, and rooms that keep secrets. There is an adventurous spirit in the compositions, a sense that each section pushes you deeper into this labyrinth.

The black metal sections have a sharp edge without turning harsh for the sake of it. The synth elements work as companions to the scenes, guiding the imagination rather than overwhelming the metallic side. Hyver keeps a steady balance between atmosphere and aggression, giving the impression of a long walk through shifting environments. Some passages drift into melodic territory and some lean on harsher riffs, creating a continuous sense of exploration. The album is driven by instinct, by storytelling through sound, and by a desire to show the castle as a living entity.

This project from Antiq highlights their focus on creators who work as complete storytellers. The visuals by Flamberge Illustrations and David Thiérrée, the work of The Shape Studio on sound, and the involvement of various French artists shape the album into something presented as a full world, not only a musical release. Hyver stands at the center of it all, offering a journey through shadowed rooms, secret passages, and strange chambers that wait for whoever dares to open the next door.

“Shaâtaunoâr” sits in a strong place for a concept driven black metal release. It keeps its adventurous spine from the first encounter with the castle until the escape, and while some paths have more intensity than others, the whole project leaves the impression of a story that invites return visits. The album rewards imagination, and its world grows larger the more you wander inside it.

Score: 7.0

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