Review : ALCEST – “Écailles de Lune”

Alcest – Écailles de Lune
Release Date: 2010Mar29 (US)
Label: Prophecy Productions
Rating : 4.5/5

It goes without saying that shoegaze black metal is a miniscule sub-genre, and it can also be assumed that Neige, the artist behind Alcest, stands in the foreground of this sub-genre. Soft melodic and traditional black metal screams are heard throughout the album, which is backed by guitar riffs that range from elegant to aggressive. It’s slowed down a bit from previous albums, and the drums have become a lot more post-rock. If you have heard the Amesoeurs full-length (a previous project of Neige), you can tell a lot of this inspiration is drawn from it.

The entire album drifts into a far-off daydream with a beautiful melancholy, which I think is the mood that Neige was going for. Production is decent, though very wet at parts. This is typical for this type of music, but it can make the heavier elements of the album feel a little messy.

It’s honestly hard to say which songs are the best, because they’re all very good. Overall, it’s a fantastic album, arguably the best, if you don’t mind straying from Black Metal.

Try 1, 2, 5

01. Écailles de Lune (Part I)
02. Écailles de Lune (Part II)
03. Percées de Lumière
04. Abysses
05. Solar Song
06. Sur L’Océan Couleur de Fer

See larger image Ecailles De Lune (Digipack Edition) (Audio CD) List Price: $16.98 USD New From: $10.29 In Stock Used from: $14.75 In Stock Release date May 4, 2010.