Alcest - Ecailles De Lune - VINYL LP

Alcest took an audible step towards their black metal roots with their sophomore full-length InchÉcailles de LuneInch (InchMoon ScalesInch) without losing any of the trademarks that had evolved on their debut album InchSouvenirs d'un Autre MondeInch. The French post-black metal pioneers created a sound of lucent, dreamlike quality and otherworldly beauty that has equally defined them and been refined by them ever since. In musical terms, Alcest amalgamate calm, semi-acoustic passages, repetitive, hypnotic patterns, and captivating melodies with outbursts of harsh riffing and aggressive drumming. The same contrasting and complementing effect is used by band founder and guitarist Neige for his vocals. Clean singing that is morphing back and forth between a warm and darker tone and a gentle higher pitch occasionally gets swept aside by despairing shrieks and furious black voices - only to flowingly return like an unstoppable tide. InchFor this album, I was especially inspired by the sea, the energy, and the exaltation that you can feel when you sit in front of the ocean at night,Inch Neige explained about InchÉcailles de LuneInch. InchThe sea appears terribly fascinating, full of secrets, beautiful and frightening at the same time.Inch Alcest's music has received many labels over the years including post-black metal, post-rock, shoegaze, and blackgaze to name some of the more commonly found terms. Yet whatever the band originally from Avignon and now based with Neige in Paris is called, their sound has always remained unique. Another typical element of their albums is a concept or theme that runs through the songs. On InchÉcailles de LuneInch it is a tale of transformation. InchThis album's story is not a metaphor for death as it might appear to beInch, says Neige. InchTo me, it is about a man who decides to literally leave one world for another. It can rather be seen a