Les Bâtards Du Roi - Les Chemins De L'exil (Review)

Les Bâtards du Roi – Les chemins de l’exil (Chronique)

(Les Acteurs de l’Ombre Productions – 10 octobre 2025)

Formed in 2022 in Orléans around the figure of Régicide, Les Bâtards du Roi quickly drew attention for their singular vision: French-language black metal, steeped in medieval imagery and narratives imbued with tragedy. After a self-titled debut album, the band now joins Les Acteurs de l’Ombre Productions and delivers their new opus, Les Chemins de l’exil, set for release on October 10, 2025. This conceptual work unfolds across nine tracks, with cover art by Will Argunas and a sound crafted by B-Blast Records.

From La Forêt, the tone is set: sharp guitars, an unsettling atmosphere, and a furious vocal presence that plunges the listener into the protagonists’ exile. Each track becomes a step in this inner journey marked by guilt and damnation. L’Âme sans repos and Vers l’Étoile solitaire dig into themes of quest and despair, while Le Chevalier au corbeau radiates a funereal aura, standing as a true peak of epic grandeur. Further on, the enigmatic Ord Vil Merdos intrigues with its title and its incantatory mood, like an invented tongue emerging from a forgotten past.

The album’s writing stands out for its ability to balance fury and melody. The black metal remains direct and abrasive, driven by a restless drum performance, yet the arrangements carve out near-liturgical moments of respite. This contrast gives the record a depth that goes beyond sheer force, allowing the narrative to unfold without ever losing intensity.

The journey closes with Sous la Couronne de l’Éternité, a solemn piece that distills the full ambition of the band: to make black metal a living substance, at once rooted in tradition and reaching toward a personal mythology. More than an album, Les Chemins de l’exil emerges as an initiatory voyage, a raw and timeless offering that confirms Les Bâtards du Roi’s determination to impose their universe with rare conviction.

Les Bâtards du Roi