Band:	Les Discrets
Album:	Ariettes Oubliées...
Style:	Shoegaze, Black metal
Release date:	February 10, 2012
Guest review by:	Unhealer

Disc I
01. Linceul D'Hiver
02. La Traversée
03. Le Mouvement Perpétuel
04. Ariettes Oubliées I: Je Devine À Travers Un Murmure...
05. La Nuit Muette
06. Au Creux De L'Hiver
07. Après L'Ombre
08. Les Regrets

Disc II [Artbook edition bonus]
01. Le Souffle Froid
02. Ariettes Oubliées II: Il Pleure Dans Mon C?ur? [Feat. Gianluca Divirgilio]
03. L'Échappée [acoustic version]

After the acclaimed debut Septembre Et Ses Dernières Pensées back in 2009, Fursy Teyssier returns to the metalgaze scene with a new full length release by his main project Les Discrets. Even though there are no big changes in the musical direction, a considerable improvement on the composition can be denoted.

We are softly introduced to the record with a mournful and short instrumental featuring some jazzy drumming, just a glimpse of Wilterhalter's amazing performance in this record. Right after setting the ambiance, we are submitted to the intense and lengthy track "La traversée". Delicately played but crushingly heavy down-tempo guitar slashes create a space where melancholic guitar melodies and soundscapes evoke a mournful atmosphere. It later rests on a bed of clean guitars just to violently emerge once more with a series of distorted arpeggios and blast beats (the only ones you will be hearing on this record) to finish the song.

From this point, the black metal knob is turned down for the following songs, going slightly upbeat at times (as in "La nuit muette", reminiscent of Amesoeurs) but keeping a certain subtlety as the crushing riffs still demand their place into the wall of sound. While all the songs on the album share the aforementioned features, the acoustic side of the band emerges during tracks such as the first single "Ariettes oubliées I" or the collaboration with Arctic Plateau's frontman "Après l'ombre", serving as a rest from all the intensity.

There is a notable fact of the use of vocals; probably 90% of Fursy's vocal melodies are harmonized with the other singer, Audrey Hadorn, and there are no harsh/growls at all. This gives some sort of unique identity to the album, while as a counterpart, it deprives the record of some diversity such as having some sections with female vocals only. Also, Fursy is always at the front of the mix so his voice will imprint in your head more easily.

Speaking of the mix, the production is one of the stronger points of this record if not the strongest. If you are familiar with the genre (likely from Alcest), you may already know this kind of music is likely to lend itself into sounding like a indistinguishable distortion storm. This record handles this perfectly, every riff/melody is right there just waiting for your attention and the low-end friendly mix allows the bass playing around the scales and the pounding bodies of the drum-set shine through the wall of sound.

Fursy has stated recently that this might be the last time Les Discrets puts out a metal release and that he'd rather go for other musical approaches on the next albums. In case that ends up being true, this record is a perfect way to say goodbye to the metal era and close this chapter in the band's career with a satisfying ending.

Outstanding songs: "La traversée", "Le mouvement perpétuel", "La nuit muette".