Alcest : "Les Chants de l'Aurore"

 This French does not need an introduction here as given their blending of black metal and shoe-gaze we have covered every album no matter where they were in their musical journey. Some have felt more inspired than others. There always seems to be a balance they need to keep in order not to drift too far in becoming the Yes of Black Metal. They have come to an effective balance of rock drive and fairy wonderment on the opening track of this album. The seventh album by the band finds them continuing to shed the black metal label, Neige himself admitted that the very word black in black metal means you have to be dark, which would disqualify this band giving the hope soaring that embodies the sounds captured here even when his vocals become more forceful. 

There is a deliberate drive that is heard on the third song offering the kind of drive that keeps your attention where the ethereal nature of what they do might otherwise find this drifting off as a sound that hovers over your head rather than engaging you. He continues to engage his harsher snarls, that are grounded to the overall mood of the songs. His sung vocals typically sit further back in the mix where the growl comes forward. Another strength of the arrangements is that they do not allow the songs to become lost in the ambiance, but things remain in motion. 

"Flamme Junelle" jangles with more of a 90s alternative feel, which works for me. It has more in common with Smashing Pumpkins than Deafheaven.  "Reminiscence" is an ambient piano piece that is like an intermission in the middle of the album. "L'Enfant de la Lune" plays to the band's strength, as the drummer lays a solid foundation to keep things moving and not shimmering off due to the incorporeal nature of the riffs. The last song checks off the shimmering away box, as it is more of an extended outro ballad, than a song you can sink your teeth into. I will give this album a 9.5, as it does indulge in the two lengthy interludes, making the album really only five actual songs, but they are excellent songs, so if you are a fan of this band then you know not to arrive with expectations of headbanging, and can enjoy this space the band occupies. The most chill album Nuclea Blast has released.  

5.8

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