Meurtrières is a heavy metal band hailing from Lyon, France. Formed back in 2018, the band recorded their first songs in the winter of 2019. Earlier this year they released their self-titled debut EP online and now that EP is getting a vinyl re-release through Gates Of Hell Records. The band is comprised of five members: Fleur on vocals, Xavier on bass, Flo Spector and Olivier on guitars and Thomas on drums. Even though this is a new band, its members are all music veterans who are in their 40s. Some of them were previously part of punk bands such as Gasmask Terrör and Pinku Saido, before they decided to form a more traditional heavy metal band instead.

The five tracks on the EP sound like they came straight out of the early ’80s. There is a clear influence from bands from the NWOBHM, as the tracks all have that typical galloping sound from the early Iron Maiden albums. Meurtrières does manage to differentiate itself, however, by having a female vocalist that sings in French. Lyrically, it’s not the contemporary parlance one might hear on the streets of Paris today, but rather something one might find in literary works from the past.

Each song is about a strong female character, set in medieval times. The first song, for example, is about a young girl in the year 823 who refuses to be married off to some old lord as she plans to steal a sword and escape at night. This overarching theme of feminist empowerment during medieval times is suitably represented in the cover artwork by Alyosha Kr. The name of the band (and the EP) is also a perfect representation of this theme. You see, in French the word “meurtrières” has a double meaning. On the one hand it means “arrowslits”, which were common in medieval castles for archers to shoot arrows through. On the other hand it also means “female murderers”. Could this maybe also be a subtle reference to Iron Maiden‘s second album ‘Killers’?

Most of the tracks on the EP are a few minutes longer than the traditional three to four minutes length. This allows for more experimentation and variety in their structure. In terms of representation, there is a good balance between the vocals and the instruments. I was less convinced, however, by the production and the sound mixing. The EP was recorded and mixed independently, so the sound isn’t quite as crystal clear as it could be. It all sounds a bit more raw and rough around the edges.

All the same, this is a very promising debut and i’m looking forward to a full-lenght release from this band. Hopefully in the not too distant future.
You can listen to the tracks and order the vinyl through the following link: https://meurtrieres.bandcamp.com/releases

Release date: July 24 2020
Label: Gates Of Hell Records
Tracklist:

1. A La Spatha
2. Alienor
3. La Fille Du Cerbère
4. Rosae Bellum
5. La Déferlante