adg211288 Choirs of Emptiness (2016) is the second release by Canadian black metal act La Torture Des Ténèbres. It's the follow-up to Acadian Nights (2016), released just one month later. While the former was a relatively short release running for not even a full half hour, Choirs of Emptiness is much more substantial. There isn't much known about La Torture Des Ténèbres yet and all sources so far indicate that Acadian Nights is considered the first full-length of the project, but judging by running times alone Choirs of Emptiness seems to be the more likely candidate with the other being an EP or demo. Like Acadian Nights Choirs of Emptiness may be downloaded for free via Bandcamp.

Despite the relatively short time taken to put Choirs of Emptiness out there following Acadian Nights, I'm pleased to discover that there are already some noticeable improvements in the music. While stylistically the album is quite similar in direction to what came before, everything seems to be handled just a little better. The high pitched guitars are still there, but I don't find them as grating on the ears this time, perhaps due to the fact that it's a little easier to hear riffs as well, though it's still all buried in a fuzzy production that ultimately has the effect of creating chaos, though it's a little more enjoyable chaos than that of Acadian Nights, no doubt because the music also has more of a semblance of structure, easier to identify songs and with more effective use of some ambient elements.

While Choirs of Emptiness doesn't exactly wow me, this release is a massive step in the right direction for La Torture Des Ténèbres. I can only hope that it is an indication of even better things still to come from the project, as there's definitely some potential here to produce something great.