Alcest – Les Voyages De L’âme Label: Prophecy Productions – PRO 122LP Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue Country: Germany Released: 05 Oct 2018 Style: Shoegaze, Black Metal
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The quintessence of Alcest
«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.
Gatefold vinyl with original cover by Fursy Teyssier, incl. poster; limited to 500 copies.
Label: Prophecy Productions – PRO 106 LP Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Limited Edition Country: Germany Released: Mar 2010 Style: Shoegaze, Black Metal
The second album by the pioneers of post-black metal
LP (black vinyl) incl. protection sleeve and poster
Three years after their genre-defining record “Souvenirs D’un Autre Monde”, Alcest return to the sound of black metal on their sophomore “Écailles De Lune”, but without forgetting any of their trademarks: calm passages, massive slabs of guitars, catchy melodies, and hook-lines going straight to the heart. “This time I was especially inspired by the seaside, the energy and the exaltation you can feel when you sit in front of the sea at night,” Neige tries to describe the album’s atmosphere. “It appears terribly fascinating, full of secrets and scary at the same time.”
Memories live within us all. We dream of our loved ones, of our experiences, and we even dream of dreams and other worlds. When Neige, the mastermind behind ALCEST, is dreaming his dream, the end result is so much more than fitful sleep. He lets us partake of his “Souvenirs d’un autre monde”, of the innocence of childhood, a personal Elysium – and this Elysium is radiant, emerald green, luscious, and all the fresher the deeper you immerse yourself in it. “Écailles de Lune” is different, though, as ALCEST are moulding ambivalences on this album. “This story isn’t really a metaphor of death, as it would seem to be. For me, it is about a man who decides to leave one world for another one, literally. Like a passage to another reality, another state of existence,” Neige says about the album concept. “This time I was especially inspired by the seaside, the energy and the exaltation you can feel when you sit in front of the sea at night. It appears terribly fascinating, full of secrets and scary at the same time.” Stylistically, Neige reverts to the sound of Black Metal that once shaped him: a picture of heart-rending, otherworldly screams, collages filled with passion and sadness, and the characteristic clean vocals. These mellow and ageless voices manage to weave a shroud of sorrow around the album. “Écailles de Lune” is like a dream, a manifesto of transience and human inferiority. For all the changes, Neige has kept all of his trademarks: calm passages, massive slabs of guitars, catchy melodies, and hook-lines going straight to the heart – all this once more delivers a convincing articulation of ALCEST’s unique style. Close your eyes and dream along. This time, melancholy shall propel and unite us. We immerse ourselves once more in fairyland. This time, it doesn’t seem fresh but fallow. Its pallor and its shadows are unfathomable, and it reveals itself to us through our senses. It is always there when we quest for it.
Label: Prophecy Productions – PRO 190 PIC Format: Vinyl Picture LP Album Country: Germany Released: 30 Sep 2016 Style: Shoegaze, Post Rock, Black Metal
“Kodama” the fifth album from Blackgaze pioneers, Alcest, marks the French duo’s ferocious return to the stylistic maximalism of its early albums while continuing the band’s relentless pursuit for new sounds and fresh ideas. “Kodama” is the Japanese word for ‘tree spirit’ and ‘echo’ and from the album’s structure and dynamics to its cinematic sound, “Kodama” indeed ‘echoes’ Alcest’s 2010 classic, “Écailles De Lune”. But this is no simple back-to-the-roots album: the band has more punch, rhythm and organic feel than ever before. While clearly influenced by bands like The Smashing Pumpkins, Tool, Dinosaur Jr, Grimes and The Cure, “Kodama” ultimately reveals itself as Alcest’s ‘Japanese album’, drawing substantial inspiration from Japanese art and culture.
Originally triggered by Hayao Miyazaki’s anime film “Princess Mononoke”, “Kodama” picks up on the fate of its protagonist and, at its core, deals with the sensation of not belonging; of living in between worlds, be it city and nature or the physical and spiritual one. Duality is also crucial for the visual approach of the album, realized by French graphic designer duo Førtifem. Paying tribute to Japanese illustrators like Takato Yamamoto, the visuals portray contrasting elements like nature/urbanity, youth/death, femininity/animality and combine poetic elements with darker ones that were not present in Alcest’s earlier works.
By giving the album a cultural, stylistic and compositional narrative, Neige and Winterhalter keep “Kodama” from just being the latest improvement on the Alcest sound and instead make the album a most rare and exciting thing: a vital, relevant record from a pioneer that not only upholds the band’s trailblazing legacy but actually makes you want to see where they go next.
Lantlôs – Melting Sun Label: Prophecy Productions – PRO 148 LPT Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Clear Country: Germany Released: 15 Jul 2016 Style: Post Rock, Shoegaze
A meditative dream journey
Cold, urban, stark, escapist – these keywords were often attributed to the music of Lantlôs in the past. Now with the band’s fourth album “Melting Sun”, many things change on different levels: After Neige’s (Alcest) amical departure, Markus Siegenhort is solely responsible for the (by now only clean) vocals and has gathered a complete line-up for the very first time. These changes in personnel go along with a pleasant paradigm shift: Whereas in the past, the sound used to be chill and at times forbidding, “Melting Sun” paints warm, oneiric vistas in bright hues, where dream mingles with reality and all details merge into majestic entities of colour and shape.
Thus, escapism is still essential to Lantlôs’ work, albeit under reverse conditions. With their new album, the group has created a meditative dream journey with a perfect visual counterpart in artist Pascal Hauer’s impressive illustrations. “Melting Sun” turns out to be a relaxed summer record between Post Metal and Dream Rock that, although it presents the gist of Lantlôs in a new musical form, remains characteristic, profoundly honest and – most of all – enthralling.
Label: Prophecy Productions – PRO 190 Format: CD, Album , Digipack Country: Germany Released: 30 Sep 2016 Style: Shoegaze, Post Rock, Black Metal
“Kodama” the fifth album from Blackgaze pioneers, Alcest, marks the French duo’s ferocious return to the stylistic maximalism of its early albums while continuing the band’s relentless pursuit for new sounds and fresh ideas. “Kodama” is the Japanese word for ‘tree spirit’ and ‘echo’ and from the album’s structure and dynamics to its cinematic sound, “Kodama” indeed ‘echoes’ Alcest’s 2010 classic, “Écailles De Lune”. But this is no simple back-to-the-roots album: the band has more punch, rhythm and organic feel than ever before. While clearly influenced by bands like The Smashing Pumpkins, Tool, Dinosaur Jr, Grimes and The Cure, “Kodama” ultimately reveals itself as Alcest’s ‘Japanese album’, drawing substantial inspiration from Japanese art and culture.
Originally triggered by Hayao Miyazaki’s anime film “Princess Mononoke”, “Kodama” picks up on the fate of its protagonist and, at its core, deals with the sensation of not belonging; of living in between worlds, be it city and nature or the physical and spiritual one. Duality is also crucial for the visual approach of the album, realized by French graphic designer duo Førtifem. Paying tribute to Japanese illustrators like Takato Yamamoto, the visuals portray contrasting elements like nature/urbanity, youth/death, femininity/animality and combine poetic elements with darker ones that were not present in Alcest’s earlier works.
By giving the album a cultural, stylistic and compositional narrative, Neige and Winterhalter keep “Kodama” from just being the latest improvement on the Alcest sound and instead make the album a most rare and exciting thing: a vital, relevant record from a pioneer that not only upholds the band’s trailblazing legacy but actually makes you want to see where they go next.
Sello: Wave Records Formato: Album CD + Bonus Tracks País: Germany Fecha: 11 May 2015 Estilo: Darkwave, Post-Punk, Shoegaze
Bleib Modern, once a solo project founded by Philipp, now became a band consisting of 5 members. Everything changed in the last months. There is almost nothing left of the Depeche Mode sound. From electric instruments to guitars, bass guitars and smooth drum beats. The vocals are psychedelic, sad, but beautiful. Philipps lyrics are very well written, it’s all about •no love‘, depression and hate. On their new and also first album, we will enjoy 10 songs that will take you on a trip into an awesome atmosphere. I can say, that this band knows how to use reverb and delay effects!
We can look forward a great future of this new coldwave / postpunk band, and maybe we will be surprised by more and more changes, too. On the CD, there will be 8 bonus tracks, for example the LOWS EP, Philipp released in August 2014.
Sello: Prophecy Productions Formato: CD, Album País: Germany Fecha: 10 Feb 2012 Estilo: Post Rock, Indie Rock, Heavy Metal, Shoegaze
An elegiac and sublime album of enraptured beauty
On their second album, “Ariettes Oubliées…”, Les Discrets appear significantly matured in many aspects. Teyssier’s artistic vision is clearer than ever, and his vocal performance shows a big progression in comparison to past recordings. Winterhalter contributes arguably the best and most diverse drum performance of his carreer, and the sensitive, poetic lyrics of Audrey Hadorn add a further dimension to the album. The album’s tenor is more severe, yet the bittersweet melancholy and almost painful yearning – both characteristic of the debut album, “Septembre Et Ses Dernières Pensées” – here they are more moving than before. “Ariettes…” is an elegiac and sublime album of enraptured beauty that develops Les Discrets’ characteristic style in the hybridization of Post-Rock, Doom Metal, and Shoegaze convincingly in every element, to every extent,and which will cement the band’s status as a cornerstone of a new, thrilling music genre.
Label: Antichristian Front Records Format: CD, Album Country: Spain Released: Dec 2008 Style: Shoegaze, Black Metal
Germany’s Black Autumn is a one-member project of M. Krall. According to Metal-Archives, the band has been in existence since 1993 and there have been a slew of releases post-2003, all of which have evaded me. This includes the debut album released last year, Ecstasy, Nightmare, Doom. Rivers Of Dead Leaves was the first taste of Black Autumn that I had and the first thing that struck me was its eclectic make-up. In essence, this album is all about abstract, sluggish, melancholic riffs that usher you into an utterly bleak and depressive world. But there is a lot more to this album than the standard depressive black metal album. The most noticeable aspect is the portions that lean towards ambient and industrial music. There are even some neat movie samples to be found on the album (Blade Runner on Ashes for example: “I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I’ve watched c-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those … moments will be lost in time, like tears…in rain.
Time to die.” – fits like a charm). The sheer variety of the riffs is also something to take of note. It’s not all tremolo picking all the time like some of these 2-bit bands that pass off as bruisingly depressive black metal. In fact, there are hardly any blastbeats at all to be found. Here’s where you get Godflesh-lite drum machine goodness instead – with a lot of passages harbouring some extremely cool double-bass work. The guitar tone is absolutely crushing and is somewhat reminiscent of a polished version of that found on Blut Aus Nord’s The Work Which Transforms God. A lot of the gloomy melodies found on the album tread on folkish routes bringing to mind names like Current 93 and Death In June. Don’t worry though, there’s enough firepower in them to keep things engaging and not turn into a snoozefest. Krall opts for a reserved vocal approach rather than an out and out psychotic shrill that is usually the weapon of choice in this genre. The vocals are heavily distorted and have a very cold, electronic, industrial feel to them which fittingly complement the despondent atmosphere.
The keyboards and electronics utilized are done so in a very optimum manner while still maintaining minimalistic ambitions. As mentioned, Black Autumn seemingly draw inspiration from a variety of bands, not limited to black metal and this fact ensures that you don’t lose interest midway through the album. Elements of Shoegaze, Funeral Doom, Industrial Black Metal, Dark Ambient, Folk and hell, even bits resembling the melodic eccentricities of Amoral. The songs are very consistent and the only song I didn’t like as much as the others was A Darkness Profound. The standout track of the album is A 1000 Years In The Water – magnificent music. There seems to be a whole story woven around the character of Ophelia from Shakespeare’s Hamlet. The famous painting of Ophelia by the English Sir John Everett Millais is printed on the CD even. All in all, excellent fare for a black metal fan and if you call yourself one, you should certainly pick this one up. Black Autumn is one band whom I will surely keep an ardent eye on.
