Alcest – Les Voyages De L’âme (Vinyl, Picture) Label: Prophecy Productions – PRO 122 PIC Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue Country: Germany Released:2023 Style: Shoegaze, Black Metal
«Les voyages de l’âme» («The Journeys of the Soul») is Alcest’s third album and contains the quintessence of the group’s creative work to date. While «Le secret,» the debut EP from 2005, was the key to the world of Alcest, «Les voyages …» unites everything that characterises Alcest in terms of concept and music. While an epic composition such as «Là où naissent les couleurs nouvelles» would have found its place also on «Écailles de lune,» «Beings of Light» with its blazing character reminds of the ground-breaking «Le secret.» On the other hand, «Autre temps» – the album’s first single to which there is also an impressive and visually stunning video clip – is a prime example for the melodic and catchy side of Alcest that initially came to the fore on the band’s debut album «Souvenirs d’un autre monde.» Something that is common to all of the songs, however, is the predominant feeling of euphoria and bliss, always subtly overshadowed by melancholia and yearning.
Tracklist: 01. Autre Temps 02. Là Où Naissent Les Couleurs Nouvelles 03. Les Voyages De L’ me 04. Nous Sommes L’Emeraude 05. Beings Of Light 06. Faiseurs De Mondes 07. Havens 08. Summer’s Glory
Picture LP in green protection sleeve, printed with gold text (1000 copies available)
When night falls onto the sub-arctic landscapes of the Land of the Thousand Lakes, in the twilight of forest and swamps, the veils between our reality and the otherworld grow thin. It is at those times that stories such as ‘the fairy tale that never was’ leak into the lyrics and music of TENHI. On their sixth album, «Valkama», which translates as ‘harbour’ or ‘shelter’ among other meanings, the Finns originally began telling of a journey that was meant as a fairy tale in a burning, war-torn village and the crossing over dark waters to an island of the dead. The island is called Verisurma (‘the place for those who have suffered blood-death’) in Finnish folklore, where those dwell that died in war or were killed with a blade, and who shed blood on its shore forever. Yet, during the ten years that TENHI were working on the album, our reality started to bleed into the otherworld with its own terrors and wars. Year after year, the musicians felt their story becoming more and more real until the point was reached that the band decided to change course. Although echoes of the original work are still audible in the final music and visible in the artwork, the album now feels more harmonious and comforting, even brighter. TENHI could hardly have picked a more suitable band-name. This old Finnish word means a person that is an ‘elder’ or ‘shaman’. And while the shamans of the ancient nomadic Finns are the guardians against but also the mediators between their communities and the spirit world, TENHI are their musical equivalent as a liminal force between dark folk, folk rock, and even reaching out into the normally electrified world of metal. The latter invites comparison with WARDRUNA and HEILUNG, although in a spiritual meaning and certainly not by way of a stylistic comparison. TENHI were conceived by guitarist and vocalist Tyko Saarikko in 1996. Ilmari Issakainen joined the band a few years later. Together they form the creative core of the group. After self-releasing the demo «Kertomuksia» (1997) and the MCD «Hallavedet» (1998), the Finns immediately hit a nerve with their debut full-length «Kauan» in 1999. TENHI started into the new millennium with another MCD entitled «Airut:ciwi» (2000), which was followed by a string of albums from «Väre» (2002) via «Maaäet» (2006) and «Airut:aamujen» (2006) to «Saivo» (2011). With each new album, the Finns continued to grow a dedicated following that is coming from different musical directions. From the start, TENHI have combined acoustic instrumentation and a traditional vibe with structures based on contemporary rock music. While their previous full-length «Saivo» tilted more towards an ambient-style and panoramic soundtrack feeling, «Valkama» returns to a more song-oriented approach – even though the tracks retain an epic and meandering format. «Valkama» comes with the trademark Finnish longing and melancholia, but despite its audible darkness, TENHI offer a musical outlet from the horrors of the modern world. In the twilight world of the North, «Valkama» is the silver-lining on the horizon promising shelter and peace.
Tracklist: 01. Saattue 02. Kesävihanta 03. Valkama 04. Rintamaan 05. Rannankukka 06. Laineinen 07. Hele 08. Ulapoi 09. Elokuun linnut 10. Sydämes on tiel 11. Veden elein 12. Aina sininen aina
