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Alcest - Souvenirs D'un Autre Monde review



Reviewer:
8.5

619 users:
8.47
Band: Alcest
Album: Souvenirs D'un Autre Monde
Style: Shoegaze, Atmospheric black metal
Release date: August 03, 2007
A review by: Jeff


01. Printemps Emeraude
02. Souvenirs D'un Autre Monde
03. Les Iris
04. Ciel Errant
05. Sur L'autre Rive Je T'attendrai
06. Tir Nan Og

Alcest has never released any real full length album but the French band is already cult. After a split and a demo, Neige (the main man of the combo and? only musician) found a deal with the famous German label Prophecy to release his first album, "Souvenirs D'un Autre Monde". The album will be out in August and you can be sure of one thing, we will remember it!

The funny thing here is that Neige used to play (and still plays with other bands by the way) Black Metal with Alcest. Here don't even expect anything like that, "Souvenirs D'un Autre Monde" is an album of melancholic Metal (and even Pop like on the track "Ciel Errant") but God, this is extremely good and intelligent. If you like the last Antimatter (also released on Prophecy) or the last Anathema, be sure that you'll check this release which is, in my opinion, one of the best releases in the category this year. This is fresh, extremely "sweet" like a candy and really emotive (no, that's not something for you if you only want to listen to "troo" or "krieg" Metal). To sum up, with "Souvenirs D'un Autre Monde" we're just in front of a really beautiful album of atmospheric music, something hypnotic, something tender and extremely catchy too. This is this kind of album that you'll listen to again and again!

The music of "Souvenirs D'un Autre Monde" is special though. This is really calm and peaceful with real saturated guitars however and even if it's not Black or Pagan Metal it's obvious that these kind of music inspired Neige to compose this album because we can easily feel these influences, especially for the spirit in the six songs of the album. But you have to know that you'll have to be extremely open minded to enjoy this release because it's not pure Metal and flirts a lot with dark Pop but honestly I don't care? it's just good and we don't have to listen to overdriven guitars every time that we listen to a CD after all.

"Souvenirs D'un Autre Monde" is a beautiful album and I'm sure that all the ones who like "poetic" music will love this release. I highly recommend it to all the ones who like peaceful music, really this is a must. Alcest was already cult before that Neige release a first official album, but now that I listened to "Souvenirs D'un Autre Monde" I can tell you that this status is all but an usurpation.


Rating breakdown
Performance: 8
Songwriting: 9
Originality: 9
Production: 8

Written by Jeff | 24.07.2007




Comments

Comments: 101   Visited by: 375 users
24.07.2007 - 15:51
Hyvaarin
Haven't heard the whole thing, but the couple of songs I have heard are awesome .

By the way, I like that you make a "summary" statement halfway through the review :p .
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"Summoned By Words Never Spoken Before..."
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24.07.2007 - 17:30
Galar
Wicked Mung
AMAZING ALBUM.
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YOUR ARGUMENT IS INVALID, SUCK A DICK
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24.07.2007 - 17:40
Starchild321
Account deleted
Probably the best album ever released. This album is beyond words. It is perfect - plain and simple
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24.07.2007 - 17:51
Marcel Hubregtse
Grumpy Old Fuck
Elite
Okayish album nice to listen to once in a while, but that's it for me. Musically well-played and all so I do agree with the rating. But I think that this album will be soon forgotten by most people. This wopn't achieve the cult stauts of their mini (which I found okay but nothing special too)
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Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal

Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight
Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.)
05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996

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24.07.2007 - 22:08
Basso
Account deleted
Not to my liking, they should have put some harsh vocals on this album to.. It gets to mellow imo. Le Secret is their masterpiece, this is just an album that I wont even buy..

Im putting my faith in Niege's Amesoeurs project instead.
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24.07.2007 - 22:22
Asphyxia
Account deleted
Yeah man, I listened to this expecting black metal, because I had never heard Alcest before, and I was real disappointed
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24.07.2007 - 22:33
Rating: 9
Spyroid
Rosetta Stoned
Altough I totally dont cope with the genre classification, I agree with your review. It's really a great release, and I look forward to his forthcoming ones.
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25.07.2007 - 17:53
Rating: 9
Damned-In-Black
Very good album, but not perfect. Does get close at times though.
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25.07.2007 - 21:43
Rating: 9
Lucas
Mr. Noise
Elite
Definitely going to buy it, but maybe they shouldn't have left the BM scene (that quickly).

And from the reviews I'm currently reading, Le Secret is indeed their/his masterpiece.
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SLUDGE. DOOM. DEATH. Wait, what?

"The reason I'm running for president is because I can't be Bruce Springsteen." - Barack Obama
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26.07.2007 - 17:40
Galar
Wicked Mung
Written by Lucas on 25.07.2007 at 21:43

Definitely going to buy it, but maybe they shouldn't have left the BM scene (that quickly).

And from the reviews I'm currently reading, Le Secret is indeed their/his masterpiece.

You mean "her" mastrerpiece.
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YOUR ARGUMENT IS INVALID, SUCK A DICK
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27.07.2007 - 13:18
Mosquiller
Amazing album !!!
bye it or die !!!
the previous album is amazing too .
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Written by Konrad on 10.12.2009 at 22:41

Hey, if you put your mind to something, you can accomplish it...just don't give up.

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27.07.2007 - 14:30
Basso
Account deleted
Written by Galar on 26.07.2007 at 17:40

Written by Lucas on 25.07.2007 at 21:43

Definitely going to buy it, but maybe they shouldn't have left the BM scene (that quickly).

And from the reviews I'm currently reading, Le Secret is indeed their/his masterpiece.

You mean "her" mastrerpiece.

Niege is not a women...
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30.07.2007 - 00:48
Rating: 9
Lucas
Mr. Noise
Elite
Written by Galar on 26.07.2007 at 17:40

Written by Lucas on 25.07.2007 at 21:43

Definitely going to buy it, but maybe they shouldn't have left the BM scene (that quickly).

And from the reviews I'm currently reading, Le Secret is indeed their/his masterpiece.

You mean "her" mastrerpiece.

Neige aint a woman, the vocalist in the song Le Secret is though.
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SLUDGE. DOOM. DEATH. Wait, what?

"The reason I'm running for president is because I can't be Bruce Springsteen." - Barack Obama
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02.08.2007 - 19:51
Tyrant Of Souls
Account deleted
A fuckin great album indeed... It actually gives me the impression of a mixture of Fleurety ('min tid skal komme', which are more obvious on their 'le secret' release) and Agalloch..... Well they're actually brilliant and this is definatelly a trully great album worth buying...
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11.08.2007 - 02:28
Zeus00
Account deleted
This album is greaaaaaaaaaat.

lol@Neige being a woman, although, neige (which means snow in French) is a feminine noun. Anyways, still an amazing album, I thought.
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12.08.2007 - 03:12
Rating: 7
Varegan
Hamranakara
one of the bests after empyrium.
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Written by muthafucka on 08.07.2010 at 06:46

"METAL STORM" (LIGHTING STRIKES)

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16.08.2007 - 23:19
Rating: 8
UnholyMenace
Psycho
Really great album, amazing atmosphere. Needed some time to grow into, but it was worth it.
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14.12.2007 - 14:10
Rating: 8
BloodTears
ANA-thema
Elite
I was hooked by the "poetic" part there. Gona check it
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Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29

Like you could kiss my ass.

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14.12.2007 - 14:31
duyhung
Account deleted
Written by BloodTears on 14.12.2007 at 14:10

I was hooked by the "poetic" part there. Gona check it

You won't be disappointed, i promise
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14.12.2007 - 15:32
Rating: 8
BloodTears
ANA-thema
Elite
Written by [user id=14272] on 14.12.2007 at 14:31

Written by BloodTears on 14.12.2007 at 14:10

I was hooked by the "poetic" part there. Gona check it

You won't be disappointed, i promise

Actually, Im listening to the album right now, the two first songs (what ive heard so far) are brilliant.
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Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29

Like you could kiss my ass.

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14.12.2007 - 16:41
TOUGHEST MEMBER
All songs in this full-length are brilliant.
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28.12.2007 - 15:56
Rating: 9
Rimfrost
I listended to this and was expecting a black metal sound, but I got positivley surprised acctually. This is brilliant!
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29.12.2007 - 02:26
Kurzag
Account deleted
So beautiful and atmospheric!
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29.12.2007 - 03:11
Duy Hung
Account deleted
Look at the chart, it's the best album of 2007 at the moment
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29.12.2007 - 11:43
Sunioj
Written by [user id=14272] on 29.12.2007 at 03:11

Look at the chart, it's the best album of 2007 at the moment

Funny... I don't really consider this album metal at all, much like I don't really consider Lifelover metal.. it makes me wonder how its even at the top of 2007... oh well
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29.12.2007 - 11:54
Rating: 8
BloodTears
ANA-thema
Elite
I find it strange that this is the best metal album although I think this is a brilliant release and beautiful in many ways. I just dont see how it can compete with symphony x and dark tranquillity in the metal albums.

That being said, I think this album is a must-have for music/melody lovers.
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Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29

Like you could kiss my ass.

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29.12.2007 - 14:43
Rating: 8
Tod_Engel
Written by BloodTears on 29.12.2007 at 11:54

I find it strange that this is the best metal album although I think this is a brilliant release and beautiful in many ways. I just dont see how it can compete with symphony x and dark tranquillity in the metal albums.

That being said, I think this album is a must-have for music/melody lovers.

Why couldn't it compete with Syhmphony X or DT?
You say it is a brilliant release, but at the same time bash it because it can't be better than a well-known band's release.
I'm trying to understand your point
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29.12.2007 - 16:36
Rating: 8
BloodTears
ANA-thema
Elite
Written by Tod_Engel on 29.12.2007 at 14:43

Written by BloodTears on 29.12.2007 at 11:54

I find it strange that this is the best metal album although I think this is a brilliant release and beautiful in many ways. I just dont see how it can compete with symphony x and dark tranquillity in the metal albums.

That being said, I think this album is a must-have for music/melody lovers.

Why couldn't it compete with Syhmphony X or DT?
You say it is a brilliant release, but at the same time bash it because it can't be better than a well-known band's release.
I'm trying to understand your point

Im not bashing the band at all. I just think that they are not just made of metal. But then again the other bands have other elements as well. So yes my idea before wasnt very thought out. If Anathema can be in the best metal records list even when their last albums are rock Alcest can too.

And it wasnt about the well-known bands you know, I just mentioned those two because in my opinion they really deserve to be amongst the best of the year, it was an example. The question that they are not as well-known has nothing to do with it. I do think that Alcest's album isnt as good as the others to be in the first place of the list and thats a personal opinion, no-one can take that from me.
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Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29

Like you could kiss my ass.

My Instagram
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29.12.2007 - 17:18
Rating: 8
Tod_Engel
Written by BloodTears on 29.12.2007 at 16:36



Im not bashing the band at all. I just think that they are not just made of metal. But then again the other bands have other elements as well. So yes my idea before wasnt very thought out. If Anathema can be in the best metal records list even when their last albums are rock Alcest can too.

And it wasnt about the well-known bands you know, I just mentioned those two because in my opinion they really deserve to be amongst the best of the year, it was an example. The question that they are not as well-known has nothing to do with it. I do think that Alcest's album isnt as good as the others to be in the first place of the list and thats a personal opinion, no-one can take that from me.

Of course it's your opinion
I have to agree with you about the point that Alcest isn't really about metal (and it's classified as Black Metal in MS ). It's similar to shoegaze, in vain of My Bloody Valentine.
The top charts only show the albums in numerical order and leave out the musical side. So it's a bad way to compare them, because musically all those releases are quite different, although they're all in metal genre.
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29.12.2007 - 18:59
Rating: 8
BloodTears
ANA-thema
Elite
Written by Tod_Engel on 29.12.2007 at 17:18

Written by BloodTears on 29.12.2007 at 16:36



Im not bashing the band at all. I just think that they are not just made of metal. But then again the other bands have other elements as well. So yes my idea before wasnt very thought out. If Anathema can be in the best metal records list even when their last albums are rock Alcest can too.

And it wasnt about the well-known bands you know, I just mentioned those two because in my opinion they really deserve to be amongst the best of the year, it was an example. The question that they are not as well-known has nothing to do with it. I do think that Alcest's album isnt as good as the others to be in the first place of the list and thats a personal opinion, no-one can take that from me.

Of course it's your opinion
I have to agree with you about the point that Alcest isn't really about metal (and it's classified as Black Metal in MS ). It's similar to shoegaze, in vain of My Bloody Valentine.
The top charts only show the albums in numerical order and leave out the musical side. So it's a bad way to compare them, because musically all those releases are quite different, although they're all in metal genre.

Yes, I agree with what you said entirely. I still think they shouldnt be in first place because as far as I'm concerned "Fiction" and "Paradise Lost" are better. But they are all different bands in the end and they are metal bands and Alcest if of a different kind. So, we actually agreed in the end.
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Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29

Like you could kiss my ass.

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