Alcest’s particular style of fairyworld post-metal doesn’t need a whole lot of introduction. The group’s dreamy, fantasy-like aesthetic seems to have struck a chord deep within the average metal fan’s dorky, frostbitten heart – winning them a place in many album collections right alongside their more aggressive contemporaries. Les Voyages De L’Âme comes two years after 2010’s well received Écailles de Lune, though the two are quite different stylistically. The familiar Alcest framework is well represented and accounted for: ephemeral soft vocals that accompany warm, clean guitars whose brittleness is continually drown out by waves of distortion, blast beats, and frontman Neige’s distinct harsh vocals. Does the album stack up to the band’s previous tales from distant sunbathed lands? Check out the review and the official video for the single Autre Temps after the jump!
Alcest albums are generally relaxing rides through a sonic dreamworld smack out of your inner child’s imagination, and Les Voyages is no exception.While the overall experience is still a positive one, there are a few strange stylistic choices that hold the French group’s third full length back from reaching the greatness of earlier releases. The first notable departure from its predecessors is the frequent usage of Neige’s mid-range clean singing voice, and while it isn’t necessarily bad or ill fitting, the vocals on a large portion of the album tend to get lost amid the volume of the guitars and and drum kit. The new vocal approach also seems to lack a lot of the emotion generated by Alcest’s previous releases. Songs off of Écailles de Lune that utilized mid-range vocals (Sur L’Ocean Couleur De Fer, for example) practically bleed emotion and stir a strong sense of long lost empathy inside the listener. Whether the choice was a stylistic one or the result of gradual wear and tear on Neige’s vocal chords is unclear, but it has the unfortunate effect of one or two of Les Voyages‘ tracks come off sounding almost disinterested or bored.
This review probably sounds a lot more scathing than I am intending it to. The first half of the album, while still entirely listenable and enjoyable in it’s own right, just doesn’t come close to touching anything from Le Secret or Souvenirs d’un Autre Monde. Where Les Voyages really shines, however, is the second half of the album. Beings of Light is a nice ambient synthy passage that sounds much more ‘Alcest-ey’ than the first four tracks, for lack of a better term. The gradual lead into Faiseurs De Mondes is where this release hits it’s stride in my opinion, replete with raspy shrieks, post-rock guitars that boom, swell, peak, and intertwine with the consistent distorted rhythm guitar, and brief acoustic interludes that punctuate the breathing room between Winterhalter’s pummeling drums. The interplay between the heartfelt clean sections and the song’s fast paced space guitar climax completely nails that sense of rustic reflection on the past that seems so crucial to the power Alcest is capable of generating. Pre-closer Havens is a brief sepia-toned lead in to the album’s decent finisher Summer’s Glory. As beat to the ground and overused as the entire “nature metal” trappings are, this is the kind of album to lounge around outdoors and watch the sun bounce between the trees to for the full effect, if that’s your thing. The ride is hindered a bit by the ho-hum first four tracks, but not enough to make it not worth skimming through. Fans will want to check it out, but if you’re unfamiliar with the band do yourself a favor and check out the earlier Le Secret or Souvenirs d’un Autre Monde.
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