How has it taken us so long to cover Borgne?! This project has been going since 1998, creating industrial black metal of a consistently high quality and yet managed to remain firmly underground, each new release (eleven full-lengths since forming) offering an interesting take on the subgenre. The band, consisting of Swiss Sergio "Bornyhake" Da Silva (of many other projects not least owner of Rotten Vomit Records and Azif Records) and Portuguese keyboardist Sandra "Lady Kaos" Henny (of very few other projects, notably a brief spot in Asagraum) are certainly not for newcomers to the genre, this album taking its sweet time to get going with the ambient Introspection du néant. Then, the eight minute Comme une tempête en moi qui gronde gallops in, programmed drums and snarled vocals beneath atmospheric guitar lines and synthesised symphonic keyboards, intense, aggressive... and largely hookless.

It's that which will put off many a fan of industrial black at its bleepy blasty best, for sure - past efforts have far more listenability and even catchiness compared to this, which is moody and atmospheric primarily. Like the cover art, this is gloomy, grey, depressing stuff, even the beats sped-up black metal blasts rather than breakbeats or anything too techno. And if you're a fan of the style then that's great because this is about as purely black as industrial black can get, even down to the listener-unfriendly song lengths. Même si l'enfer m'attire dans sa perdition, for instance, is ten minutes long and feels it, blasting beats pushing at your ears near-constantly whilst the guitar/synth lines and vocals spurt out atop - Mysticum taken to its natural conclusion.

What saves Renaître de ses fanges particularly is just how intense and moody the music here gets. Despite being largely similar in style and tone the material here is never boring or dull, far from it; the riffs especially load-bearing with their melodic trill, managing to be hypnotic and atmospheric throughout. Condamnée à errer dans les meanders, for instance, verges on old Emperor with its semi-symphonic assault, and although Ils me rongent de l'intérieur and Un espace hors du temps do feature some electronic bells and whistles by and large they're still dominated by blasts, riffs, and snarls, ending in sinister ambience with simple piano. Dans un tourbillon de douleur hits a particularly epic peak with its riffs and mines it well, seeming shorter than eight minutes long, and finale Royaumes de poussière et de cendre takes steps towards funeral doom territory with a much slower pace, ending the album well. Perhaps it's not the best place to start with from this project but certainly is recommended to those who appreciate industrial black metal for its bleak atmosphere rather than any dancefloor grooves. And for those willing to delve a little, much of their discography is available via the Bandcamp link above; definitely a band worth knowing overall.