There is no doubt that Menace Ruine is a pioneering force in the extreme music space. The Quebec-based duo of Geneviève Beaulieu and S. de la Moth honed their avant-garde sound by encapsulating components of drone, neo-folk, and tinges of black metal. This unique mix resulted in some of the seminal works of the ‘10s, particularly Alight In Ashes and Venus Armata. Like many of the great extreme experimental bands, Menace Ruine are multi-faceted. Now, Geneviève Beaulieu embarks on a solo journey, much like the ones undertaken by Steve Von Till of Neurosis, shedding away much of the instrumentation of Menace Ruine to reach the core within.
The neo-folk elevations are reverted to a folk point of origin. Beaulieu’s debut record under her name, Augury, takes a minimal route: nylon guitars and vocals. It is as simple as that and yet immensely powerful in its evocative nature. It is the emotional quality that first captures the attention. It results in a magical experience through mountain forests, early in the day before the morning dew completely dissipates. The simple progression of “The Longest Trail” establishes this mystical experience, its crystalline quality providing a delicate and precious characteristic, something also implemented in the record’s closing track “Sink My Own Boat.”
The affirming aspect of Augury is undeniable. Establishing a naturalistic perspective, Beaulieu embraces much of the wonder with fearlessness, as highlighted in the final lines of “Le Chanson de Coyote” as she sings “No hope no fears / Have I been swimming or drowning? / Aren’t we still breathing?” It is also mirrored in the quasi-country presence that the track takes, as does “Severed Head” with a slight twang. However, there are moments when Beaulieu also faces the darkness. The pensive tone of “Ephemeral” details the impermanent state of existence, life, and death as she laments “The soil is now warm / And I am shaken with tears / The wound is where your light comes in / Will you reveal what the earth conceals?” This is also where the minimal experimentalism shines, appearing in “Waning Sun” through the intriguing background sound design. This is the final descent, as Beaulieu bluntly suggests “Not a burn I can remember / Not a ray of hope or any morning.”
It is easy to see the connection between Augury and Beaulieu’s works with Menace Ruine. Similarly to how the imagination can re-work the solo records of Von Till to full-fledged Neurosis tracks, it can also be done with Augury. It is an unbroken connection, but it still offers insight into Beaulieu’s process and exposes the core components of her creativity. In that way, it stands on its own, and contradicts some of her lyrics from “Ephemerals” as she details “Nothing has grown beneath layers and layers of dreams.” I beg to differ.
