Les Discrets – Ariettes Oubliees . . .

 
I have no idea what to say about this album.

I think it’s brilliant. I think the soundscapes that Fursy Teyssier has created are wondrous and majestic. I think that the contributions of vocalist Audrey Hadorn are immaculate in their beauty. I think that the complexities of the musical movements are intriguing and dynamic. I think the tones are dark and foreboding. I think that Ariettes Oubliees . . . is a fantastic musical experience that begs for me to listen again and again, and at ever increasing volume. And, I think that I’m going a little mad trying to formulate a cohesive set of thoughts about this record!

The album opener is an instrumental track called “Linceul d'hiver” that is simply a beautiful, slow building mini epic. Teyssier does a great job of not rushing this song. It builds measure by measure, each measure adding a new musical element, filling all of the open space with sound, until we’re left with this densely intense wall of sound. Then, it vanishes and begins to fade away, only to drop immediately into “La Traversée” and then we, the listeners, are introduced to the dual vocal harmonies of Teyssier and Hadorn, each voice complimenting the other over a passage of strumming guitars, droning in a shoegazers fantastic voyage. Gloriously dynamic and epic, this song changes pace about three minutes in and gets a little darker, a little moodier, a little more distorted around the edges and heavier. Though the song ventures into some progressive territories, it always retains some beautiful melodies, both in the way of the haunting strains of the guitars notes and in the vocals. The song even flirts with a little heavy metal moment around the six minute mark as a well produced and captured guitar tone, distorted to the point it vibrates the teeth, but not so much that it rattles the head. The first ten-plus minutes of this album was enough for me to recognize that this was going to be a different experience than I had with the band’s first album, my beloved album of 2010, Septembre et Ses Dernières Pensées. A different experience, but maybe one that was more satisfying!

The beauty doesn’t end there. “Le Mouvement perpetual” is another 7 minute track that captures Teyssier and Hadorn feeding off each other in their elegant fashion. When I hear this song, I can almost picture the images from the album cover (vinyl edition . . . beautiful gatefold jacket . . . bonus poster . . . quality work) coming to life. Skeletal images dressed in their finest evening attire, elegantly dancing a discordant waltz across the parquet floors of a ballroom, draped in dark curtains, lit by the soft light of a meager amount of candles, and led by a dark and somewhat sinister band . . . the voices of Teyssier and Hadorn actually have a dancing quality to them, in the way they work together, breathe together . . . entwined in the rhythms of the music. Darkly romantic, almost gothic. What an amazingly emotional song!

The entire album does this . . . get’s the imagination flowing, tickling the emotions, and flooding the soul with music that moves. For over forty-two minutes, Les Discrets regale the listener this delicate sound that still has some heft to it. The pop-tinged “La nuit muette” features a huge vocal performance, layered voices that soar and never come back down. The acoustic guitar-based “Après l' Ombre”, also featured on the Prophecy Productions compilation album, Whom The Moon A Nightsong Sings, with all of its haunting tones and darkened chords, and tortured vocal melodies. “Les Regrets”, in all of its instrumental glory, with its ultra-somber, almost depressive air . . . Ariettes Oubliees is an amazing trip into the darkest recesses of the emotions and human psyche.

On the first listen, I was concerned that Ariettes Oubliees . . . wouldn’t match up or live up to my expectations based on my past experience with Septembre et Ses Dernières Pensées, and like all things new, it almost didn’t. But, I continued listening, working to separate my memories of the previous record from the sounds I was currently listening to, and I found an equally satisfying record. Top 10 Album of the Year? I can’t answer that, for the year is young and there are a lot of records coming out this year. But, I can say that I will probably be playing this disc, like I did the last one . . . in between every other release that comes out. Great work and highly recommended!

Pope

www.lesdiscrets.com
www.prophecyproductions.de

Dornenreich – Flammentriebe

If you’re just tuning in, we have two outs, bottom of the ninth inning . . . bases are loaded and the home team is down by three runs . . . shuffling up to the plate with his head down in his typical shy fashion . . . number 666 . . . Dornenreich steps into the batter’s box for Team Prophecy Productions. I tell ya’ Racer, in all my years of watching the game, breathing in its subtle intricacies, I’ve never seen a team come through in the clutch like this Prophecy team, and we have the makings for yet another instant classic . . . a game that will live on forever in the history books of the greatest games ever played! And would you look at that!!! As if on cue, Dornenreich chases a curveball out of the strike zone . . . lined over the left fielders head . . . and all he can do is watch as the ball easily clears the outfield wall and is now a souvenir for the rabid fans who have waited a lifetime for this moment! Do you believe in miracles? I can’t believe my eyes! Racer . . . any comments? You are the color guy after all.

Sorry about that, folks . . . with spring training starting and baseball right around the corner, I couldn’t fight the urge to draw some bizarrely apt correlation between the sport and the amazing work that Prophecy Production consistently releases, and the talents of these guys from Dornenreich have displayed on their latest release entitled Flammentriebe.

Flammentriebe is black metal with an avant tinge, somewhat shoe-gazer, brutal and brackish, beautiful and morose. I first stumbled on Dornenreich on the Prophecy compilation Whom the Moon a Nightsong Sings and found the track to be one of the most compelling, so once the promo for Flammentriebe made its way to me, suffice it to say that I was more than intrigued, maybe even a wee bit on the excited side. By now, you all should know that I love it when musicians push the boundaries of a musical genre, eclipsing any pre-conceived ideas as to what we all had for said genre, permanently stamping their fingerprint to a musical style for all to witness and absorb through the ages. Dornenreich take that full on aggressive black metal style of music and add fantastic elements that make my ears tickle with excitement . . . beautiful and lush acoustic guitar passages, ambient and atmospheric interludes, violins that add more than a delicate texture, acting as one of the key instruments throughout . . . and then there’s a compositional complexity that is like junk shot into my veins to ease my proggy addiction. To draw comparisons with the outside world, let’s take the ambitious musical nature of Opeth, mix it with the pure, unadulterated natural blackened death styling’s of Khold, mix that all with the show-gazing subtleties of label mates Alcest and Les Discrets, and then add a style that can only be Dornenreich’s alone, y’know . . . those intricate little sounds, moods, and tones that can’t be pinned on any other band. I absolutely love this album!

Dornenreich hail from Austria and Flammentriebe is completely written and performed in the bands native tongue, but that shouldn’t be a turn off to anybody. The emotions transcend any language barrier, and in the case of Flammentriebe, actually makes the songs sound that much more important and immediate. The opening track, “Flammenmensch,” is a five minute gem of utter brilliance! After a tentative plucking of an acoustic guitar introduces us to the album, the electric version of the instrument creates that sonic wall that seems to permeate in the black metal world, then we get the blood curdling screams, and a little double bass drum/blastbeat  cacophony, and it’s all performed the way I love it . . . with immediacy and honesty, and to keep the wary ear entangled in the web of intrigue, Dornenreich change things up with stunning breaks that allow the song to breath and grow more ominous. Here’s where things get really interesting . . . listen closely to the double, triple, tendon-tearing pick attack of the guitars and you’ll hear the violins in tight accompaniment, adding another texture that I’ve never heard before . . . but listen closely coz’ it can get lost in the mix a bit. Totally bitchin’ effect and for me adds a completely different dimension to the music and what could be.

“Der Wunde Trieb” immediately picks up with the violins leading the way, and then stepping back to let the rest of the band beat us senseless. Then, the violins reappear, adding this great mournful and haunting effect to the blistering black metal tirades. Glorious in its darkness and oppressiveness, “Der Wunde Trieb” is epic metal filled with awesome moments of nuance, hefty technical skill, and emotional depth that will take more than a handful of listening sessions to fully comprehend. By the time you get to “Tief im Land” you should be well primed for one of the most beautifully complex and emotionally savage songs on the album. Again, opening with an acoustic guitar and suddenly bursting with electricity, this song is a full on Odyssian journey of experimentation and musical expression. To listen to the way these guys pull back one instrument to allow another to propel the song and then vice versa, it’s like watching a perfectly choreographed chorus line or, better yet, the inner working of a machine at work . . . all the pieces working together to create motion but all those piece doing their own individual job. “Tief im Land” is a clinic on composition and performance that should be taught at every musical institution. So declareth the Pope. . . so let it be done!

“Wolfpuls” and “Wandel Geschehe” follow suit with more of the aforementioned tendencies, violins working in conjunction with the bombast of the traditional black metal soundings, adding an element of class that one doesn’t find with many black metal acts. “Wolfpuls” is more of a grinding, throbbing, pulsating metallic gem while “Wandel Gerschehe” acts more as a wooden hulled ship cresting wave after roiling wave on the open seas, dipping deep into the valleys of despair, then being propelled to the peak of the wave before crashing down again. Both songs will have you lost within yourself, contemplating the greater meaning of it all and wondering why you hadn’t created such masterful work in your own life. “In Allem Weben” is another sterling example of the musical proficiency that Dornenreich seems to wield within their souls, effortlessly piecing passages together that performed by any other band may never come out sounding half this good. Seamlessly flowing from one expressive passage to another, pummeling the senses with malevolent sounds while incorporating more serene and subtle elements to keep the song from being one dimensional, these guys do a masterful job of challenging the listener, but never over-challenging them.

Flammentriebe is easily at the top of this year’s “Must Have” list. Yeah, it’s early in the year and there’s a great chance it will supplanted by another amazing album, but for the time being, I’m going to spin this gem as much as I possibly can. The layers of sound that make up this album keep me interested and help push my imagination to places I haven’t seen in a long, long time. The album rocks, yet it does so in a very intelligent manner . . . kinda’ like a premeditated murder that stumps the world’s greatest detectives. And yes, to conclude the earlier analogy of this piece, it’s a bases clearing game winning grand slam that leaves Dornenreich being carried off on the shoulders of his team mates to the cheers of thousands. Game ball should go to Prophecy for recognizing the raw talents of this band and getting them prepped for the big leagues!

Pope

http://dornenreich.com/

http://www.prophecyproductions.de/front_content.php?idcat=258&idart=397&releaseid=204

Nucleus Torn - Travellers and Andromeda Awaiting

Travellers

Early morning mist lingers over the calm oceans as we push our handmade wooden boat into the icy depths. We softly drag our oars through the placid aquatic field, pushing the water and the land behind us. We leave our homeland knowing full well that we may never see her again, that the families we leave behind may never lay eyes, lips, flesh to their husbands, brothers, and fathers again. Yet we steer our craft through the vast seas in search of trade partners in our material goods and our cultural ideas, and we are at peace with our decision to leave the comforts of home firmly nestled amongst the bosom of our Earth Mother. If we return to these shores, then it was meant to be.

I have no idea if that imagery was the intention of Nucleus Torn when they crafted the four-part acoustic epic “Krähenkönigin I – IV”, but that’s the feeling I got as I sat back in my office spinning the first part of the Travellers album. I’ve come to find out that the song title roughly translates to “Crows Queen” in English. The songs are seamlessly strung together and come across as if they were treatments or exercises for the classical guitar, and then they got morphed into a romantic acoustic instrumental piece of music. Coming from Prophecy Productions, I somewhat expected Travellers to be on the ambient side of the musical spectrum, but I also expected it to dip a big, gnarled ugly toe into the miasma of black metal. Those tendencies arise, but for the most part, this album is sparse of superfluous sounds and instrumentation. Amazingly, I never find the music of the first four songs tedious or boring . . . in actuality; I’ve often found myself leaning forward, on the edge of my chair waiting for the drama to explode before my ears. Alas, Nucleus Torn never jump all over your face like an enraged monkey, it’s more like they infuse tons of emotional drama through carefully thought out notes and exquisite tones. One minute, it’s easy to get lost paddling across the great plains of the oceanic landscape, the next minute find yourself trudging through some overgrown hillside, and through it all, you’re embracing nature, feeling the wind blowing across the skin, the sun pulling the moisture from your flesh, the rain dowsing the fires of hope that once roared within you. Bleak, but never depressing.

The opening four-part track is laden with so much imagery and emotion that I can’t help but want to load up my backpack and hike to Bakersfield (it’s not the end of the world, but I hear you can see it from there.) These tracks have more to do with classical and folk music than any black metal that I’ve ever heard, and I’m perfectly fine with that. As Travellers continues on, more hope and uplifting moments creep into the music. “Silver” is a beautiful quasi-classical romantic piece, also played on acoustic guitars . . . sounds like nylon string . . . and in its short, abbreviated manner, ushers us listeners into the next part of the musical journey . . . the darker, electric, and narrated portion of the program! “Witness” is a beautiful track that starts off mellow and somber, acoustic guitars accompany the morose vocals, and then the song ultimately opens up in volume and electric tension. This is a truly fine execution of song craft!

For the most part, Travellers is a Spartan and barren album. But that’s not to say that there isn’t tension built in the songs. It’s more of an organic and natural tension, though . . . made more impressive and imposing by the lack of studio effects. Almost like there’s something inherently spooky about that twisted tree outside your window that you’ve been begging Dad to chop down coz’ it casts those freakish shadows on your wall during a full moon. Rather than chop that sucker down, embrace its natural and creepy beauty, regale in its frightening aspects, and sleep fitfully through the night. Unless you starred in Poltergeist, you shouldn’t have anything to worry about.

Buy here: Travellers
Buy here mp3: Travellers

Andromeda Awaiting

After listening to Travellers over and over and over again, I found myself spinning the follow up album, Andromeda Awaiting. This is where things get strange. I was somewhat expecting to hear a continuation of Travellers, and in some way, I guess you could say that’s what I got. But it’s not a continuation in the sense of lack of bombastic emotion, it’s more like a linear continuation . . . where the musical ideas are given more instrumentation, more texture to convey even greater breadth of emotion. Where Travellers is sparse in sound, Andromeda Awaiting is lush in sonic richness.

Broken up into six parts or chapters, Andromeda Awaiting is a strikingly gorgeous record. It gets a little proggy in a symphonic nature, and I find that to be perfectly perfect. The incorporation of the various woodwinds, horns, strings, voices . . . it all builds on top of one another to create a sparkling tower of sonic splendor. As for the underlying meaning of the album . . . no clue. I haven’t the foggiest notion as to what this album is about, and I don’t care. With this particular album, I’ve found myself listening purely for the emotion of sound, not keying in on any lyrics or potentially hidden meaning within the words. Throughout the record, I’ve found myself uplifted; other moments, I’m hunched over preparing myself to weep.

The “bookends” of the album, part I and VI, are the most dramatic, and also the longest portions of the program. Part I clocks in at over fifteen minutes and is like sitting in the cockpit of some interstellar spacecraft as it’s hurtling through the depths of the cosmos. Brilliant lights shows exploding into the visions, streaking stars criss-crossing the crafts path, all of the radiance from the heavenly bodies surrounding us acting as an exclamation as to how insignificantly small the human race truly is. The female vocals leading the first track feel so vulnerable and fragile, ready to crack at the slightest bump . . . and conveying an emotion of sad loneliness. The song weaves through some ethereal passages, ultimately falling into the lap of what I can only describe as choir music without the choir. The male voice that enters the song makes me feel like I’m sitting in a pew during a Catholic mass. It’s gorgeous and engaging, and oddly enough, makes me want to go to church once in awhile. The final chapter of the album is much like the first, sprawling and elegant in its instrumentation, always drawing some emotion from deep within. And sandwiched between these two songs are four tracks that take the listener on a journey that won’t be forgotten. In particular, I’m a big fan of the Middle Eastern modes that these guys use in the latter half of the album . . . every time I hear these tones, these particular scales, I get lost in the romantic world of my minds design.

Pope

Buy here: Andromeda Waiting

http://www.nucleustorn.ch/

http://www.prophecyproductions.de/front_content.php

Prophecy Productions - Whom the Moon a Nightsong Sings (Compilation)

Never . . . ever . . . in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that I would sit down and write my thoughts about a compilation album. Compilation albums have always been a mixed bag for me. Some songs will be just okay from the artists that you expect to be great, some songs are great from artists that you would expect would suck, and every so often, you stumble on a new name that’s doing something interesting, but that in itself never warrants the penning of a review and the typical collection usually sounds mismatched and unfocused in style and sound. Well, slap my ass and call me Susie . . . I have been pummeled senseless by the fine folks at Prophecy Productions (read my thoughts on Les Discrets, Alcest, Negura Bunget . . . yeah, I’m a big fan) with their compilation of dark and moody ambient trance inducing songs entitled Whom the Moon a Nightsong Sings.

Prophecy Productions has quickly become one of my favorite labels for a few reasons, but namely the music that’s coming out from this label is emotionally complex and the kind of stuff rocks the soul rather than the body. The music is generally heavy in mood, not in overall sonic tone. The music is usually pretty dark, both in imagery and in emotion. And, the music never gets bombastic in the pummeling sense . . .it’s extreme, but on the other side of the spectrum than what we in the metal community have become accustomed to with the blastbeats and detuned instruments set to eleven. Then, of course, there’s the production value that you get from these guys! The packaging on their products is worth every red cent that one can dig from under their couch cushions or from the drink holders in their cars. Prophecy delivers a quality product . . . end of story.

This compilation is all of the above. Starting off with a quiet instrumental tune from Vali called “Hoestmelankoli”, I got this immediate sense that something tragic was about to happen. Less than a minute and a half long, this introduction to all that is Prophecy is packed with sorrow and despair, yet with an ever so faint ray of hope. The song is just a couple of acoustic guitars picking away at a gorgeous melody that escalates in epicness before morphing into a traipsing through a desolate castle sounds of Empyrium’s “The Day Before the Fall”. Laden with a multitude of instruments . . . cellos, acoustic guitars, the steady hum of what sounds like an old pipe organ . . . this song is simply mournful. This is one of those rare tracks on this album that is truly heavy in instrumentation as it is in mood and emotion. We have huge drum and distorted guitar portions in the middle passages of this one, and the whole thing builds in tension as the reality of a kingdom dissolves into ash. Absolutely brilliant!

Nebelung’s “Ich würd es hören” is a gem of a tune. Sung in native German and played with a couple of acoustic guitars and some string accompaniment, this song is a great example of how a band can create some serious mood without the massive production of a full band ensemble. Roughly translated to “I’d Hear It”, I get the sense that this is a personal tale of loss. The vocals are packed with so much sorrow, mournful . . . but not full of despair, not the suicidal type . . . this reeks of a man who has lost something of great emotional value is trying to find a way to fill that void or honor that loss. Man . . . truly a heavy song in an emotional sense! Then follow that one up with October Falls and their contribution of “Viima” and the soul is just torn apart. There is an epic sadness to the melody of this track. The acoustic guitars are played over a foundation of howling winds, which add an organic sense of natural wonder. Then, these guys add subtle flourishes of cello to create a massively heart rending texture. This is the kind of song that fits well with sitting in a darkened room, watching the rain or snow fall from a dark grey sky, and recollecting past transgressions or lost loves.

Ainulindalë’s “A Year Of Silence” was actually the first song that I heard from the album and I was immediately hooked by the vocal performances, both from the lead vocalist as well as from the choir of backing vocalists. Throw in the plaintive screams from the violins and the accents from the percussions and this song is drenched with elements that tickle the ears and, ultimately, the soul. My personal favorites on the Prophecy roster and the act that made me want to hear this compilation in the first place, Les Discrets contribute a couple of tracks back to back with “5 Montee Des Epies” and “Apres l'Ombre”. The first is a simple arpeggio being repeated on a chorused out guitar with some subtle synthesized sounds in the background, but then the second track kicks in and the sound that made me fall in love with this band hit me like an axe blade in the forehead. The strumming acoustic guitars, the textural synth flourishes, the impassioned vocals, the overall dark and shoe-gazing appeal of this song remind me of why I adore their full-length album Septembre Et Ses Dernieres Pensees as much as I do. These are two tracks that get better and better with every listen!

In truth, there is not a track on this compilation that doesn’t fit or doesn’t take me to some magically emotional place. The Musk Ox track is beautiful, the Havnatt seven minute epic . . . Wow! Ethereal beauty emanates from this one and the female vocals, sung in a native Norwegian tongue, are the key to its elegance. Dornenreich . . . stunning and I’ve only made it through the first disc in this set! Nhor, Ulver, and Neun Welten’s sprawling tune “Pan”, all stand as fantastic examples of the individual bands abilities of carving out their own niche in this organically ambient genre. Tenhi . . . Oh, Tenhi! You who I had never heard before, but now feel the need to cling to every note that you produce! Folks . . . this song is laden with so much soul shaking music that to not feel something from it would equate to one being dead inside. What is that? A mandolin being played over a throbbing and pulsating drum rhythm, those haunting and cryptic vocals, the plinking of piano keys and the constant reverberation of the violin strings . . . this song is my new life changer! The tones shift from ominous to hopeful and back again, all seamless and unforced. Remember this name. Tenhi.

It’s impossible for me to ramble on about every track on this glorious release and hope to keep from being redundant. Just know this, Prophecy Productions has some of the most wonderful songwriting talents on their roster and this compilation is perfect. Perfect, in that I have now been exposed to so many new artists who have the ability to move me on an emotional level as well as on an intellectual level. The songs have a dark, foreboding menace to them . . . a sorrow laced within the individual notes . . . an emotion that despite many of the songs being sung in languages that I don’t understand still impact me to feel shivers across my skin and my soul. All of these artists should be damn proud of the work that they’ve contributed here, but as true artists, they won’t be proud of these works. They’ll feel that these songs were simply a snapshot of how they were feeling at a particular moment and they were fortunate enough to capture those emotions forever in these recordings. For me . . . well, I’m thankful that they did. Whom the Moon a Nightsong Sings is an instant classic and ranks up there with the first Metal Massacre album. Outstanding work, folks!

Pope

Buy here: Whom the Moon a Nightsong Sings
Buy mp3: Whom The Moon A Night Song Sings

http://www.prophecyproductions.de/front_content.php?idcat=256&lang=1

Ripple News - Prophecy Artist, Dornenreich announces 2011 Tour

Dornenreich: Flammentriebe tour 2011

In the 15th year of their existence Dornenreich present their seventh studio-album Flammentriebe via a unique live-show: a double-set including everything from acoustic intimacy to passionate ecstasy. Both the metallic as well as the acoustic side of Dornenreich will be combined for these concerts. Dornenreich will be joined by their special guests Agrypnie which rose from the the ashes of the German Avantgarde-Black-Metal-Ensemble Nocte Obducta.

FLAMMENTRIEBE TOUR 2011
presented by ORKUS, LEGACY & METAL.DE

10.02.2011 DE - München / Backstage
11.02.2011 AT - Klagenfurt / Volxhaus
12.02.2011 AT - Wien / Szene
13.02.2011 DE - Nürnberg / Z-Bau
14.02.2011 DE - Dresden / Puschkin Club
15.02.2011 DE - Berlin / K17
16.02.2011 DE - Essen / Turock
17.02.2011 DE - Trier / ExHaus
18.02.2011 DE - Stuttgart / Haus 11
19.02.2011 CH - Uster / Rock City

Prophecy Productions Report: Featuring Alcest, Les Descrits, and Negura Bunget

Prophecy Productions is a German based label that is focused on more of your ambient, atmospheric music, though they don’t limit their releases to purely metallic offerings. There’s some cool acoustic stuff in their coffers to go hand in hand with the darkened black metal material that I seem to keep gravitating towards. What excites me the most about this outfit is the quality of the products that their putting out for us music fans and collectors! Sure, they have your standard fair of CD and digipak releases, but they’re mixing that up with 12” vinyl, split EP’s, and fantastic looking CD art books that highlight the visuals as they pertain to the music. Three bands have burrowed their way into the darker recesses of my brain, Alcest, Les Discrets, and Negură Bunget. All have a similar dark atmospheric sound going on, but once you delve deeper into the sounds permeating from these platters, you should soon find that there are wonderfully subtle, yet striking differences between each band. 

Alcest - Écailles De Lune

It’s like this. You take all those shoegazers who started creeping their uncertain and unconfident way onto stages across the globe in the 90’s, and then, introduce them to Satan. Okay. It’s not exactly like that, but the gist is there. Alcest play a style of black metal (though I hate to pigeon-hole them into that category) that I’ve found completely infectious because it’s filled with so much ambiance and hauntingly gothic melody, and their creation of this music never goes where I expect it to go. One second, I’m expecting blastbeats galore, but they drop whispering guitar strains instead. Or when I am expecting a sound more along the lines of walking around moonlit lake shore, I’m greeted with an explosive discharge of torment vocals and violent guitars.  Écailles De Lune is a complex listen, but somehow, comes across as being very natural. None of the material feels forced and none of the tonal changes sound all that out of place. The album comes across as the guys from Isis having a midnight snack with Quorthon (Bathory) while listening to early Smashing Pumpkins. Huge waves of droning sound working in contrast with the darkened black metal blasts of evil, and then simply drifting into atmospheric passages that, under the influence of the right illicit substances, would completely lift the listener out of themselves.

On the first two tracks of the album, “Écailles De Lune, Part I & II,” Alcest work these musical combinations to perfection. Kicking off the album with moments of melodic trance-y sort of stuff, our heads bobbing in time with the music, our bodies swaying with the flow of sound, all while we have our eyes firmly fixed on the floor. Then, all of those beautiful melodic textures are kicked to the side and replaced by blastbeats and the band is off on an expedition of sonic exploration. The album closes with “Sur L’ocean Couleur de Fen,” which roughly translates (and mind you, my French is rusty) to “Ocean the Color of Iron.” This tune is a spectacular epic of a song that absolutely teleports the listener to a far away seashore, watching as the darkened waves peak and topple of one another, all working their way to pound against the sand and rock of the shore line. The music roils like the open Atlantic, never calm for more than a few moments before the waves lurch us into a life and death struggle against nature. A little over eight minutes in running time, “Ocean” is a song to experience. If you listen to just one song from Alcest, make sure this is the one. Ultimately, you’ll find the sound to be so compelling that you’ll go back and listen to this whole album. www.myspace.com/alcestmusic 

Les Discrets - Septembre Et Ses Dernières Pensées

Along the lines of Alcest’s more melodic moments, Prophecy Productions has delivered us Les Discrets and their latest album entitled Septembre Et Ses Dernières Pensées. This ten track opus is a beautifully majestic piece of ear candy, filled with lush acoustic guitars, ambient guitar passages, and soaring melodies . . . basically, it’s another album that has the power to teleport you, the listener, to faraway lands and potentially leaving you there to wander along the sonic landscape. Every time that I’ve put this disc on, I’ve been able to completely tune out everything around me, which just pleases my wife to no end. There’s sarcasm in that last line. So beware, reader . . . when listening to this album, there’s a good chance that you’ll become so engrossed in the music that you’ll forget about picking up the kids from school, pulling the casserole from the oven before it burns, or even bathing. Even though I don’t understand the lyrical content of this album (it’s all sung in French,) I find that I’m drawn in and clinging to every word. Septembre Et Ses Dernières Pensées is just another testament to the universal appeal of music. Like math, music is a language that transcends borders and cultures.

Though absolutely enthralling as an album, I found myself even more transfixed to the palette of sounds around the mid-point of the disc, particularly with the fifth track, “Sur Les Quaint” and “Effet De Nuit.” The former is sorrowful sounding song powered equally by the sparkling acoustic guitars strumming out the rhythm and the engaging dual vocals. The break in the middle of the song is a nice touch, as the finger picked arpeggios flutter through the listener’s conscious, and then as the plaintive guitar solo echoes from the speakers, you can practically feel some tortured soul tugging softly on the heart. The voices are highly emotive and their performance is executed to perfection. “Effet De Nuit,” on the other hand, shows a different side of the band. Opening with a wall of shimmering cymbals and distorted guitars, this song has an Opethian vibe to it. Dark and sorrowful, the vocals croon in their haunting way, and as the acoustic guitars enter the mix, a sad melody lilts through the more cacophonic din. It’s a brilliantly crafted song, full of tortured emotions and strong musicality. Rays of hope begin to shimmer through the dark clouds of the rest of this album just as this set begins to close. “Une Maintee D’hiver” reminds me of Joshua Tree-era U2 in the way that the music begins to feel orchestrated and uplifting, almost like there’s been a rebirth of our collective outlook on life. Septembre Et Ses Dernières Pensées  is a truly spectacular album. www.myspace.com/lesdiscrets 

Negură Bunget - Măiestrit

I got to thinking while I was listening to this album that I really know very little about the country of Romania. After knowing that Romania is in Europe, I’m out. Well, now I know about Negură Bunget, which apparently means something like the black fog that comes from the forest in the Romanian tongue.  Măiestrit, which translates to ‘masterly’, is a re-recording of 2000’s Măiastru Sfetnic and showcases the bands folk-y, experimental black metal sounds. Upon listening to this album, I’m immediately reminded of Below the Lights-era Enslaved. It’s dark and imposing, but there are fantastic elements of melody and mystery interweaved within the strains of despair. The music on Măiestrit has an organic and natural feel to it, not overly orchestrated or planned out, but almost like a knee-jerk reaction to life. There’s a skin crawling haunting quality to this album, almost the feeling one might get while walking alone through a dark forest, constantly feeling like you’re being watched . . . shadows skittering from tree to tree, leaves softly rustling when there is no wind, the disorienting feeling of the higher mountain altitudes and the evening chill burning the lungs . . . y’know, all that creepy stuff of being alone in a dark forest.

“In-zvicnirea Apusului” is one of those songs that can make the casual metal fan rethink what their stance on black metal. This is one of those near progressive musical pieces that has so much going on in the context of the song and the song relies on every instrument in holding it together. To remove one instrument from the song would have the composition crumble to floor. I love the mix on this as well! One guitar can be heard droning along in one speaker, creating a base for the rest of the music to build, while in the other speaker  a second guitar provides staccato bursts of distortion, giving the song an even more imposing feel to it. “Al Locului” walks along a similar path as the aforementioned song, but this one feels more immediate in its threat to overall health and well being. Catching my attention the most, besides the dual guitar attack, was the ambient swells of keyboards in the back and foreground. This song is more psychologically heavy than it is musically heavy. Though there are a lot of notes flying this way and that, the song never feels so dense that it becomes a detriment. Complex, yes. Pay close attention to the outstanding guitar work towards the last half of the song. That, my friends, is why I listen to this stuff! www.myspace.com/negurabunget 

Of further note, Prophecy Productions is releasing the Negură Bunget’s Măiestrit and Les Discrets’ Septembre Et Ses Dernières Pensées is a unique 56 page picture art book format. They’re hardcover and filled with original photographs and art work that coincides with the albums, and look to be a collector’s wet dream. Check these photos out! www.prophecyproductions.de

  

 

-  Pope JTE