HANTERNOZ - A Hed an Noz, a Noz, a Noz

Brittany has always been an important region for black metal sounds - just think of the les légions noires movement from Brest (which included bands like Vlad Tepes and Mütiilation), a scene that proved fundamental for extreme France in the Nineties. With Hanternoz we move to a neighbouring area, specifically the Pays de la Loire, to tell you about the third album produced by this Angers-based group, always deeply embedded in an imagery closely tied to their home territory.

The album's striking cover shows a sunset and an advancing cart: standing on it, scythe in hand, is the central figure of Breton folklore, the Ankou, a ferryman who embodies both the fear of death and death itself. Hanternoz take this as their starting point to tell us about six creatures that appear at night to torment unfortunate passers-by, a sleepless journey through fifty-six minutes of pure French pagan black metal.
The duo doesn't rely solely on speed or medieval-flavoured epic grandeur (as is the case with the acclaimed Véhémence, the project in which Hanternoz's own Hyvermor also plays), instead ranging between spare riffs and a distinctly melodic approach, as in the compelling "La Lessive des Trépassés". Here the album reaches its peak, delivering at least two more gems including "Le Diable de Quimper – Corentin" (drawn from a legend tied to the fire at Quimper Cathedral) and the closing "Quand j'ai Tué le Roi de la Forêt", the most solemn moment (bringing to mind both Peste Noire and the more measured passages of Bathory).

There's a strong identity behind "A Hed an Noz, a Noz, a Noz" (the title, in Breton, means "all night long, night and night"), and it's no coincidence that Hyvermor is also the head of Antiq Records, a label focused precisely on the folk/pagan strains of black metal, with roots firmly planted in the history of the country. This work, while not always operating at its best level, still manages to convey its message perfectly, plunging us into an anthropological concept that undoubtedly hits the mark. But more broadly, in France, extreme releases continue to leave a deep mark on the most underground side of the metal scene.

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06/08/2026