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Readers' Choice

THE GREATEST FRENCH HEAVY METAL SONG OF ALL TIMES?

 Thursday, March 11th, 2010 at 2:00pm by

I got a very flattering e-mail from French reader Vincent Roquefort yesterday. And since I have a particular affinity for France and French culture (Don’t hang me as a traitor, Republicans!), I took Monsieur Roquefort’s claim that “Civilisation Perdue” (that’s “Lost Civilization” to you English speakers) by Sortilège is “the greatest French heavy metal song of all times.”

I’m not really familiar with Sortilège (“Magic Spell”), nor the 1984 album on which this song appears, Métamorphose. But it’s a pretty good song. The greatest French heavy metal song song of all time(s), though? Yeah, I’m not sure… but check it out and let us know what you think. If there’s a French heavy metal song you like better, feel free to suggest it. I know we’re gonna get a million votes for Gojira, and I love that band, too (duh), but let’s try to think outside la boîte a little bit, m’kay?

-AR

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  • aids robot

    blut aus nord-everything

  • Matthew Grant Anson

    The Heaviest Matter in the Fucking Universe.

  • luis

    check out Crucifère from eths
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S97oUM_fjs8

  • Trux

    My vote goes to Battleground for suicide by Nightmare.

  • Bierko

    The Bottle Doom Lazy Band. Weird name, but some of the best doom metal in the world right now. Was surprised to find out that they’re French, in fact.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Nabil-Bougroune/631486256 Nabil Bougroune

    killers have great tunes! my favorite song from them is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpaN8fEqyz8
    but my favorite french heavy metal song _though not really heavy metal :s_ is : trust-la grande illusion [i'm just a bulletin that we intoxicates and put into a ballot box] http://videos.orange.es/video/iLyROoaft4PF.html

    ps: sorry for the iunmatching video, the bad quality, and the bad english and translations :p

  • Grg

    Anthrax covered the greatest french song!!!

    !!! Antisocial !!!

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Jim-Cherry/100000428539777 Jim Cherry

    My vote goes to scarve with the song “Mirthless Perspectives.” Seriously awesome pissed-off melodic metal. check em out!

    Scarve – Mirthless Perspectives (French metal)

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14jzHsFkM7Q

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Chris-Finntroll/1567502385 Chris Finntroll

      ^^THIS^^

      Also, for the politically unaware (*cough* Axl *cough*), France’s President Nicolas Sarkozy is actually a conservative. Everyone talks shit about the French, but they have a better leader than at least the last 2 we have had to deal with.

  • Ziltoid

    Kalisia – Cybion

    70 minutes, 20 tracks, 1 song

    Progressive Death Awesomeness.

    • SP420

      I have to second this. I got this album about 2 months ago and love it. As the band says, it’s best to listen to it all the way through and damn are they right about that one.

      • Matthew Grant Anson

        Wow, just downloaded this today.

  • Alex_P

    Sortilège are pretty sweet. I know about them because of Chuck Schuldiner.

    • Tom

      Yeah, that’s true, Sortilege was Chuck Schuldiner’s favorite band.

  • http://metallized.org Metallizer

    Antisocial, by Trust is a stand out.

    However, I’ll go for Deathspell Omega and their song, Chaining the Katechon. Why? Because it’s creative, not your typical Black Metal song, it’s intelligent, and it’s bröötal! Ouais!

  • http://lavidastrangiato.blogspot.com/ Jake Strangiato

    Massacra all the way! Just pick anything from “Final Holocaust”, but I guess I’ll go with “Apocalyptic Warriors” because of the intro.

  • Phil

    “Antisocial” by Trust

  • Israel

    Amesours

    Resucillment

  • King Cheezit

    Gojira is top in my book, but I definitely get down with Outcast almost as equally. Tell me that next time Gojira comes around that they shouldn’t bring Outcast and 2 or 3 other French bands with them!

    My favorite track- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxl2mtcxieE
    Outcast’s video for Feelings Transgression- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RL9IAfJ58xk

  • Peter Nincompoop

    I gotta go with “In The Forest” from Gojira’s Terra Incognita album. That song melts my fucking face off every time I hear it. However, MANY other French songs kick ass. Great post.

  • yetzer hara

    my two favorite french bands right now are aosoth and hell militia. france is about to take the black metal crown away from norway.

  • http://www.gamesmeetmetal.com Gamesmeetmetal.com

    I just got introduced to Hypno5e and their side project, ABOAGTR, and they’re both awesome.

    http://www.myspace.com/hypno5e

    http://www.myspace.com/backwardglancetravelroad

  • Super Blaze Dave

    Megadeth- A Tout Le Monde

    • Mike2

      That’s a wannabe-french song, not a french song. And he only sings the chorus in french. He also has a hell of an accent live, it’s incredible.

      And by the way, my favorite heavy metal song by a French band is probably Ocean Planet by Gojira or Antisocial by Trust.

    • tiagón

      overruled

  • Mike

    Alizee – J’en Ai Marre

  • Gaia

    ‘Printemps Emeraude’ – Alcest. Have really dug this band since someone recommended them here at some time or another.

  • tiagón

    1. Symbyosis – Crusades IV
    2. Gorod – Hidden Genocide
    3. Pitbulls in the Nursery – Lunatic
    4. Gojira – Vacuity
    5. Benighted – Smile then Bleed
    6. Carcariass – Watery Grave
    7. Necropsy – Gueule de Vieille
    8. Trepalium – Sick Boogie Murder
    9. Svart Crown – At the End
    10. Overmars – Born Again

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Pierre-Nonski/734729096 Pierre Noïnski

    I don’t know about the greatest French metal song of all times (although I would definitely consider “Antisocial” by Trust) but I know that the greatest Sortilege song is not “Civilisation Perdue”. The only other Sortilege song I know is “Delire d’un Fou” and it’s much better!!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7G9zfegCNs

  • SourDeez

    I can’t pick the best French song, but I would have to nominate Peste Noire as the greatest French band of all time. Gojira shmojira.

  • chris78955

    SHAKING STREET is the best french group….but in the 80′
    they open for BLACK SABBATH and BLUE OYSTER CULT in a US tour….with
    eric” ERA” levy on guitars
    ross the boss “MANOWAR”
    jimmy page play guitar on one track “mome des villes”
    listen to this……

  • http://www.smnnews.com big_metal_al

    ahhhh, suce moi la beet cunase!

  • http://buttor.blogspot.com Buttor

    - Hacride
    - Eryn Non Dae.
    - Om Mani
    - Abysse
    - Nothingness
    - God Damn
    - Bukowski

    And you can download a 4 hour long compilation called “Vive La France” with all the best doom and sludge French bands here :

    http://doommetalfront.blogspot.com/2010/03/doom-metal-front-zine-3-032010.html

  • Vincent

    Thank you Axl for spreading the news that Sortilège was the shit !
    “Civilisation Perdue” is definitely the “greatest french heavy metal song of all times” !
    Now, everyone knows.

    But back in the 80′s and early 90′s, there were loads of French heavy metal bands that kicked all kinds of ass.
    Trust was obviously the most famous but check out these ones : ADX, Attentat Rock, Blaspheme, H-Bomb, High Power, Killers, Satan Jokers, Shakin’ Street, Squealer, Vulcain, Warning.

    If you’re more into thrash/death metal, you gotta bang your head to Agressor, Massacra or Loudblast.

    For those who might be interested in french heavy metal, you should visit these two gold mines, http://france.metal.museum.free.fr/ and http://80sfrenchmetal.blogspot.com/ where you will find all the information you can dream about.

    • Pescarojo

      Vulcain! +1

  • zilch

    You children are wasting your breath.

    If it’s from France, it doesn’t get any better than MAGMA.

  • Frostiess

    I’m a french and for me the best band is gojira

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Carl-Malherbe/1388131682 Carl Malherbe

    Loudblast – This Dazzling Abyss