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Lantlôs - Agape review




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Reviewer:
7.0

80 users:
7.56
Band: Lantlôs
Album: Agape
Release date: October 2011


Disc I
01. Intrauterin
02. Bliss
03. Bloody Lips And Paper Skin
04. You Feel Like Memories
05. Eribo - I Collect The Stars

Disc II [limited boxset edition bonus]
01. White Miasma
02. Where Have You Gone My Friend [Asylum Party cover]

Disc III [limited boxset/jewel case edition bonus]
Instrumental demo tracks:
01. Intrauterin
02. Bliss
03. You Feel Like Memories
04. Eribo - I Collect The Stars
05. White Miasma

Neige strikes again. Yes, the bloke from Alcest who apparently believes it's his sworn duty to make sure as many bands possible are working together towards achieving his vision (a perfect shoegaze/post-rock black metal album perchance?), is here too, but only handling the vocal duties and not contributing to the songwriting itself. If you expected Écailles De Lune number 2, you might be slightly disappointed.

Compared to all the ten billion releases hailing from this particular sub-genre, Agape bears a slower, heavier and darker vibe, yet still maintains the ecstatic, dreamy feeling. This is noticeable from the very start, as soon as the noisy intro develops into a doomy dirge which continues chugging until the "acoustic" breakdowns take over and help emphasize the next monolithic climax. Sometimes pounding at full speed, like on "Bliss", sometimes remaining at a turtle's pace like on "Eribo - I Collect Stars", the music paints one picture, regardless of the method used. As you might know, "agape" is an old Greek word that translates to "love", but not of the "putting the penis in the vagina" variety. It's the spiritual kind, or what we might nowadays refer to as "Christian". And indeed, while listening to Agape, it is easy to feel that warm, fuzzy sensation, but with more than a dash of melancholy and tragedy. Loss of your closest friend? Or simply longing for someone who might feel "agape" for you and whom you might feel it for? Like in all art, the interpretation is purely up to you.

Sounds wonderful, doesn't it? Oh, if only it were. Clocking at about 35 minutes, Agape is too short for its own good, especially considering the fact perhaps somewhat less than 1/3 of it are the breakdowns that tend to feel too drawn out and sometimes monotonous. So much in fact, that the climaxes don't feel like they're worth your patience. It's like a joke that takes too long to tell. Even if the punchline is brilliant, the audience is bored and frustrated by the overblown set-up. The only track where this is executed properly is the finisher, and even that one lacks some variation. Put simply, these 35 minutes feel like half that much worth of ideas played twice as slow.

Still, Agape is a solid release. What it lacks in songwriting it makes up for with pure emotion, and it's hard to slander such a release for its technical flaws.


Rating breakdown
Performance: 8
Songwriting: 6
Originality: 6
Production: 8

Written by Slayer666 | 30.01.2012




Guest review disclaimer:
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.


Comments

Comments: 6   Visited by: 50 users
30.01.2012 - 19:45
Rating: 9
Unhealer
Eclecticist
Nice reviewing of the album's sound. But I think it was not correct to focus the review on Niege.
Aside of his outstanding work with the vocals, the music is all work of Herbst, he should at least be mentioned.

And yeah, it's a shame that the album is so short. Thankfully, if you add the second cd with the bonus song and the cover (which are excellent also) you are adding 15 minutes
This one is among my favs of 2011
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30.01.2012 - 20:53
Slayer666

Written by Unhealer on 30.01.2012 at 19:45

Nice reviewing of the album's sound. But I think it was not correct to focus the review on Niege.


It didn't focus on Neige, he was a by-the-way comment to hopefully get more people interested in the album.

Even reviews aren't spared of the cheap marketing tricks.
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30.01.2012 - 20:57
X-Ray Rod
Skandino
I understand both fronts here. In one corner... The review clearly says that Niege didn't take part of anything besides the vocals.... Ont he other hand: Starting this review with "Niege strikes again" is still wrong even under the marketing card imo.

I still like the review though.
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Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29
Like you could kiss my ass
Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
Rod, let me love you.
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30.01.2012 - 21:29
Slayer666

Written by X-Ray Rod on 30.01.2012 at 20:57

I understand both fronts here. In one corner... The review clearly says that Niege didn't take part of anything besides the vocals.... Ont he other hand: Starting this review with "Niege strikes again" is still wrong even under the marketing card imo.


Marketing is where the money lies, baby.
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30.01.2012 - 22:39
Rating: 9
Unhealer
Eclecticist
Written by Slayer666 on 30.01.2012 at 20:53

Written by Unhealer on 30.01.2012 at 19:45

Nice reviewing of the album's sound. But I think it was not correct to focus the review on Niege.


It didn't focus on Neige, he was a by-the-way comment to hopefully get more people interested in the album.

Even reviews aren't spared of the cheap marketing tricks.


Haha, I understand that.
I know it is a good idea to mention him, I would have done it too, I just thought Herbst could be mentioned also.
I think I wouldn't feel right If I write a whole album myself and then see a review where only the "famous" singer of my band is mentioned and I'm not
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01.02.2012 - 15:44
Rating: 5
Kuroboshi

Great review. And I really agree with the third paragraph. It's over before it even started. This time around, Herbst just couldn't keep the mellow parts interesting, and the harsher sequences are nowhere close to ".neon" in my opinion. Quite disappointed.
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