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Another band from the Black Metal powerhouse that is France, and despite the band's name, the lyrics are in French (well, I assume they are from the track names, as it's not like the vocals are really decipherable...) L'asile de l'esprit (which roughly translates to "Spirit's asylum") is, simply put, a somewhat depressive variation of late 90s/early 2000s Black Metal – the melodic kind, not the über-raw or blazingly fast kind. The atmosphere is rather bleak and melancholic, yet soothing to some extent.

While this is melodic, the guitars are still pretty raw and there's nothing pretty about this music either – not a keyboard fest by any means nor commercially-inclined. The vocals blend with the depressive music through a somewhat monotone yet effective delivery of low rasps and occasional screams – nothing to comfort the unwary listener. While I've heard more depressing Black Metal, L'asile de l'esprit is pretty much spot on and a good entry point for those seeking to explore the genre.