Sortilège

French heavy metal band Sortilège, from Paris, formed in 1980 as a trio called Blood Wave with Stéphane Dumont and Didier Demajean on guitars and Jean-Philippe Dumont on drums, before opting for its definitive name the following year and finding its singer in the person of Christian Augustin and its bassist with Daniel Lapp. They offer a French alternative to new wave British heavy metal bands such as Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and Def Leppard. Signed by Dutch label Rave-on Records, the band failed to convince a French company, recording an EP of the same name. They are then signed in France by Madrigal. For this label, they record the album Métamorphose, produced in Germany. To extend their influence, an English-language version of the album was recorded, but Christian Angustin's vocals were not convincing in this form. In 1986, a second album, Larmes de Héros, was conceived before the split. More melodic, this opus disappointed the public. Tired of the lack of public and record company support, Christian Augustin decided to leave the group, which never recovered. Drummer Jean-Philippe Dumont tried to revive the band in the early 2000s, but ended up joining Shaka Ponk. It wasn't until 2019 that Sortilège reunited for a series of concerts. But the group splits into two entities, one bringing together Christian Augustin, Daniel Lapp and Farid Medjane (ex-Trust) and the other, Stéphane Dumont, Didier Demajean and Bob Snake. A compilation, Phoenix, is unveiled in 2021, and a new album, Apocalypso, in 2023. This album, ranked 56th in France, was recorded by Christian Augustin, the only original member, accompanied by Clément Rouxel (drums), Sébastien Bonnet (bass), Bruno Ramos and Olivier Spitzer (guitars). A first live album, Coram Populo, was released the same year, before a return to the studio marked by the death of guitarist Bruno Ramos from cancer on May 18, 2025. He was replaced by Satan Jokers guitarist Michaël Zurita on the album Le Poids de l'Âme, which was released in November 2025 and reached No. 4 in the SNEP Rock & Metal chart.