French post-metal group Year of No Light has released their live album Les Maîtres Fous today, May 23, through Pelagic Records. The album captures the band’s powerful 2015 performance and marks the first time the music has been publicly available in nearly a decade.
Les Maîtres Fous—which translates to The Mad Masters—was written as a response to the 1955 film of the same name by French filmmaker Jean Rouch. The film, a blend of documentary and fiction, is known for its disturbing and controversial depiction of ritual possession among the Hauka movement in West Africa.
Year of No Light composed the piece after being commissioned by the Musée du Quai Branly in Paris. Their performance was part of the museum’s 2012 exhibition L’Invention du Sauvage, which explored colonial views of non-Western cultures. The band approached the subject matter with care, crafting a soundscape that is both hypnotic and heavy, echoing the themes of ritual and transformation seen in Rouch’s film.
The music was performed live only twice: first at the museum on January 6, 2012, and again in Bordeaux on January 29, 2015. The newly released album is a recording of that final performance. For the band, the emotionally charged nature of the material and the intensity of their performance made this project especially demanding—a tension that listeners can clearly feel.
Year of No Light formed in Bordeaux in 2001, originally as a side project within the local heavy music scene. Their early sound fused sludge metal and shoegaze, culminating in the release of their debut album Nord in 2006, which received critical praise. In later years, the group evolved into a fully instrumental six-member band after replacing their vocalist with a third guitarist. This shift allowed them to explore darker sonic territory, drawing from black metal, drone, and ambient music.
With 2010’s Ausserwelt and 2013’s Tocsin, the band pushed their sound even further. They slowed tempos to a crawl, deepened their tuning, and embraced crushing heaviness. Their 2021 release Consolamentum, their first in nine years and their debut with Pelagic Records, showcased their signature dual-drum attack and dynamic range.
As Year of No Light nears its 25th anniversary, Les Maîtres Fous stands as a striking reminder of the band’s fearless artistic spirit. Through the years, they have continued to evolve, confront difficult themes, and experiment with sound in bold and meaningful ways.
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