Creature had its first outing with 2018’s «Inquiétudes» and since then has retained a consistent output of a full-length per year. A streak which shan’t be broken in 2021, as the band announced the impending arrival of «Eloge De L’Ombre» (something like “praise of the shadows”), a record which is set to mark “a new evolution in the ever-fascinating oeuvre of Creature.” So far, the sole creation of Raphaël Fournier has been remarkably consistent in its tendency for an utter bizarre take on black metal, with last album «Ex Cathedra» incorporating quite the symphonic elements, as well as technical wizardry aplenty. The upcoming piece is said to see the band’s mastermind seizing “the opportunity to delve further into other dark corners of his expansive and multi-faceted sound, previously only alluded to,” with the press release further stating that the album “fiercely, defiantly and futuristically explores an array of moods and sounds as wide as life itself” and is “a collection of idiosyncratically exciting and varied short vignettes.” One such vignette is «Conscience Mécanique», which you can hear below and seems to indeed hint at a darker side of the band’s sound. Finally, note Fournier has been joined by Solefald, Borknagar, and Leprous drummer Baard Kolstad for this album.

«Eloge De L’Ombre» is set for release on November 12 via I, Voidhanger on cd, digital, and vinyl formats. Pre-orders are available here (cd), here (digital), and here (vinyl). The artwork seen above was created by Midge “Mantissa” Sinnaeve.