J'avais Rêvé Du Nord

Peste Noire's song "J'avais Rêvé Du Nord" is a raw and visceral exploration of disillusionment, cultural decay, and a yearning for escape. The lyrics paint a bleak picture of the artist's birthplace, situated between Martigues and Marseille, where the environment is marred by pollution and industrial decay. The imagery of a sky oxidized and a sun falling like a straitjacket sets a tone of suffocating despair. The artist describes a landscape where the horizon is dominated by prison-like structures and plastic, evoking a sense of entrapment and artificiality.

The song delves into themes of cultural and racial tension, highlighting the loss of traditional French identity in the face of modern societal changes. The artist laments the degradation of Gothic splendors, now reduced to crumbling stones tagged with exotic invectives. This sense of cultural erosion is compounded by the presence of hostile tribes, making the environment feel unsafe and alien. The artist's pale complexion becomes a target, symbolizing the broader theme of racial and cultural conflict.

In a moment of introspection, the artist dreams of the North, a place of untouched wilderness and permafrost, free from the eternal aversion of racial tension. This dream represents a longing for purity, peace, and a return to a more noble and untainted existence. The invocation of "Métal Noir" (Black Metal) serves as a powerful metaphor for rebellion and destruction, embodying the artist's rage and desire to obliterate the corrupt world around him. The imagery of a colossal raven, forged in the night of garages, taking flight towards more noble citadels, encapsulates the artist's ultimate desire for escape and transcendence.