Year of No Light unleashes haunting live album “Les Maîtres Fous”

French post-metal collective Year of No Light returns with a live album that’s as unsettling as it is hypnotic. Released on May 23rd via the renowned Pelagic Records, “Les Maîtres Fous” is now available in full—and it’s a journey worth diving into.

Translating to “The Mad Masters,” the album is an abrasive, discordant, and deeply uneasy piece composed in response to Jean Rouch’s controversial 1950s documentary of the same name. The roots of this work trace back to 2012, when the Musée du Quai Branly in Paris commissioned the band to compose music for its exhibition L’Invention Du Sauvage. The film, which depicts the rituals of the Hauka movement, inspired Year of No Light to craft a score that channels its ominous weight into their trademark, slow-burning sonic doom.

Though the piece was performed only twice—first in Paris in 2012, then in Bordeaux in 2015—this release captures that final performance. The recording conveys the raw tension of the show, fueled by both the documentary’s unsettling legacy and the band’s crushing intensity. The result is a visceral and emotionally jarring experience that lodges itself under your skin.

Formed in September 2001 as a side project among Bordeaux’s heavy music veterans, Year of No Light released their debut album “Nord” in 2006 to critical acclaim. A few years later, major changes reshaped the band: the vocalist departed, a third guitarist joined, and the group evolved into a fully instrumental sextet. Their sound began to absorb sludge, shoegaze, black metal, drone, and dark ambient elements.

2010’s four-track “Ausserwelt” and 2013’s “Tocsin” pushed their colossal sound even further, slowing tempos to a glacial pace and dropping guitar tunings deeper into the abyss. With “Consolamentum”—their first full-length in nine years and their debut with Pelagic—the band unveiled the crushing force of dual drummers, showcasing a masterful balance between dynamics and overwhelming contrast.

Nearly 25 years in, Year of No Light proves with “Les Maîtres Fous” that they’re still fearless in their experimentation—and unafraid to stare directly into the darkness of the world.