Vide |Aux Enfantes Des Ruines |Antiq Records

Release Date February 27^th, 2026
Format CD/Digital
Genre Atmospheric Black Metal
Country France

France has spawned Vide, a black metal entity that dropped three full albums back in 2022 before disappearing into the frozen dirt. Now they are back under the Antiq Records banner, an imprint active since 2009 churning out obscure art. Vide is fronted by Hylgaryss, known for his vocal destruction in acts like Dark Sanctuary and Le Prochain Hiver. They have crawled out of the underground again to deliver a fifty-minute assault of pure winter worship.

"Aux Enfants Des Ruines" brings a freezing audio storm straight to your skull. Guitars layer endlessly over each other, creating a massive, chaotic wall of noise. You get blasted with relentless drumming that eventually slows down into cold, echoing passages. Hylgaryss screams his lungs out, channeling absolute misery over the swirling riffs. The violence breaks occasionally for strange choral chanting, throwing a creepy, haunted orphanage aesthetic over the bleakness.

The children's choir segments are genuinely eerie and bring serious sorrow to the music. They add a sick, twisted layer to the standard atmospheric blasting. Over fifty minutes of overlapping tremolo picking and relentless frostbite can wear you down. Sometimes the music wanders off into the snow and gets lost in its own freezing noise. The high-pitched riffing drags on a bit too long in the middle sections, making you wait forever for the next blast beat to strike.

Vide definitely brings the freezing darkness French extreme music is famous for producing. The harsh vocals and creepy choir parts give "Aux Enfants Des Ruines" a cool identity. It delivers enough freezing riffs to keep underground maniacs banging their heads, even if the runtime drags its feet occasionally. A decent dose of winter misery.

Score: 7.0

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Morte France | Hesperia | Antiq

Release Date: 15 December 2025

Format: CD/LP/Digital

Genre: Black Metal

Country: France

Morte France return with “Hesperia”, an album rooted in the project’s ongoing dialogue with European heritage, myth, and spiritual reflection. Formed in 2021 by Kval, the band has followed a clear path, mixing harsh expression with philosophical  Radiale”, the project has always worked through themes larger than the individual. “Hesperia” keeps this direction, though the tone is more inward, more personal, with an emotional charge that does not turn away from its ideological backbone.

The album presents Morte France in a more open state, less aggressive than before, though it still pushes forward with sharp energy. Vocals cut through the atmosphere with the same burning delivery, while the guitar work creates wide, luminous passages that echo the album’s vision of Europe as both ancient and wounded. “Waldgänger” brings a storming introduction to this world, and “Europa Aeterna” answers with a more melodic approach that gives the album a strong early contrast. The use of guest vocals in “Hesperia” adds welcome color, turning the title track into one of the most expressive moments of the album.

“Hesperia” works strongly through its thematic devotion. The lyrical focus pulls from thinkers like Jünger and Hesse, and this gives the music a literary quality without slipping into vagueness. Kval’s voice remains central, carrying the emotional core of the album, while Taur and Ghmur keep everything grounded. The production leans into cold textures, giving each composition a raw presence that matches the project’s vision. Nothing here tries to soften the message, and the album has a consistent intensity from the early charge to the closing track “Fernweh”, which delivers a long, wandering reflection that fits the album’s contemplative spirit.

As a whole, “Hesperia” is a strong second full album, more open-hearted than its predecessor, yet still loyal to the internal universe Kval has been shaping. It shows a band confident in its worldview, committed to its themes, and capable of translating them into engaging black metal with a personal signature. It maintains its footing through atmosphere, emotion, and a steady push forward, creating a release that stands comfortably in the upper tier of Antiq’s catalog. This album works well for listeners who want black metal with intellectual fire and strong narrative direction.

Score: 7.5

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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

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCI0VBkrm78vy3VJNl1iaBmw

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Rauhnåcht | Zwischenwelten | Antiq

 

    Rauhnåcht is a one-man black metal project from Austria, founded in 2009 by an artist (Stefan Traunmüller, also in Golden Dawn and numerous other projects) known for his connection with nature and a reclusive, mountain-bound lifestyle. The project began as an extension of the Alpine folk collective Sturmpercht, blending traditional Alpine music with black metal and atmospheric elements. Over time, Rauhnåcht carved out a personal style described by many as alpine black metal—an approach rooted in nature, ancient mysticism, and deep introspection. Albums like “Vortweltschweigen,” “Urzeitgeist,” and “Unterm Gipfelthron” built the foundation of the band’s name. The 2022 ambient release “Winterstille” marked a temporary step away from black metal, showing another side of the artist’s creative vision.

“Zwischenwelten” returns to black metal, but it feels more severe and enigmatic than Rauhnåcht’s previous metal work. The album’s name means “The Worlds Between the Worlds,” and this concept is reflected in both the sound and the atmosphere. High-speed drumming often drives the tracks forward, but under the aggression lies a structure filled with contrasts—between fast and slow, harsh and calm, and the earthly and the spiritual.

There’s a coldness throughout the album that suits its mountainous origin. Echoing vocals, traditional instruments, and subtle field recordings blur the boundary between man and landscape. You get the sense of wandering through winter forests or abandoned shrines, with unseen forces close by. The transitions are long, often meditative, but never without purpose. Even when melodies emerge from the darkness, they don’t offer relief. They serve more as paths to somewhere deeper.

The production avoids being overwhelming. Everything feels carefully placed to serve the larger picture. Each track adds to the idea of a liminal world—neither here nor there, but existing in its own right. Some parts sound almost sacred, while others seem driven by rage and isolation. That combination gives the album a strong identity.

Rauhnåcht does not flood social media or seek public attention. This music comes from a more private, deliberate place. “Zwischenwelten” fits within that vision—an album not made to impress, but to mark a place, an experience, a border. It’s immersive and serious, but not unreachable. Besides this black metal, we miss. It comes straight from the 90s, and you’ll worship it.

Score: 8.5

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