Alcest - Les Voyages De L'âme review
| Band: | Alcest |
| Album: | Les Voyages De L'âme |
| Style: | Shoegaze, Atmospheric black metal |
| Release date: | January 06, 2012 |
| A review by: | Troy Killjoy |
01. Autre Temps
02. Là Où Naissent Les Couleurs Nouvelles
03. Les Voyages De L'âme
04. Nous Sommes L'emeraude
05. Beings Of Light
06. Faiseurs De Mondes
07. Havens
08. Summer's Glory
Over the course of the past few years, Neige has been not-so-quietly making a name for himself in the black metal scene, working his way through the likes of Mortifera and Peste Noire before contributing to - perhaps - his first real "experiment": Amesoeurs. An experiment that ended in name only...
With Alcest, Neige has been slowly incorporating more shoegaze elements into the mix with the passing of time. Écailles de lune made quite a few ripples in the black metal scene with its ethereal beauty and soothing tenderness, leading to this, Neige's most tranquil release to date.
Les voyages de l'âme is, quite simply, a shoegaze-oriented album with very few black metal elements, focusing almost entirely on extravagance and folkloric adventure, a journey through Neverland with faeries and woodland creatures singing along in tune to
Neige's clean vocals tie into the majestic picture, painting waves that step upon water, flowers that dance in merriment, elves and sprites among thousands of acres of eternal great oaks. Consider him the Peter Pan of metal. All of that, of course, is only accentuated by the sparsity of his abstracted howling shrieks and the return of ethereal female choir-like lullabies in the background... the Tinkerbell to Neige's own alter-ego.
It all seems to be a matter of perfection...
Once you poke the walls of this grandiose delusion, however, you will find they too ripple like the waves Neige created a few short years ago. There is little by way of actual content; the atmosphere feels synthetic, much like food conjured by magic having no taste. The apple appears without a mark: perfect, shining, juicy. Yet, upon biting into what looks like flawless fruit, one is left utterly disappointed at the complete lack of flavor. There are no bursting effects within these songs because there is no substance. Unfortunately what the world is left with is but a hollow tone, pretty on the outside... and completely empty within its sparkling shell.
Overlooking the lack of soul that comes with illusory sensations, there is still the traditional Alcestian beauty one would come to expect from a man of Neige's mindset, and that does indeed count for something. For great escapes into mystical lands and whimsical dreams that allow you to fly into the hearts of the universe's farthest-reaching stars, Les voyages de l'âme makes for some divine psychotropic inspiration. In the hands of someone more rational, someone without that childlike sense of wonder, someone unable to unlock the secrets of the pixie dust... this album will likely fall on deaf ears.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 8 |
| Songwriting: | 5 |
| Originality: | 7 |
| Production: | 9 |
 | Written on 05.01.2012 by I'm total pro; that's what I'm here for. |
Comments page 3 / 4
Comments: 96
Visited by: 565 users
| Troy Killjoy perfunctionist Staff Posts: 21306  |
Written by [user id=20536] on 06.01.2012 at 03:09 With a rebel yell, she cried Yao, Yao, Yao. 
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
Loading...
|
| Slayer666 Posts: 2466  |
 Well, not exactly disappointed, but I did expect more after the brilliant first track (one of Alcest's best, by far). I was sure I was going to be the only one defending this, but I just can't. Methinks I'd rate it even a half point lower, although the review itself is spot on. I wonder if this is the consequence of Neige being a social butterfly on so many different projects...
Loading...
|
| Troy Killjoy perfunctionist Staff Posts: 21306 |
Written by Slayer666 on 06.01.2012 at 10:37 My thoughts exactly. Questions have already surfaced about his ability to focus on Alcest when contributing his efforts to so many different projects, and I think this album is a perfect example of how one can be spread like butter over too much bread. It's great that he has so many ideas and wants to share them with the world, but patience is a virtue that Neige does not possess, and his music is suffering as a result. Rather than becoming the Korpiklaani of black metal, I'd recommend taking a rest before jumping at the next opportunity to come knocking.
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
Loading...
|
| Milena gloom cookie Staff Posts: 4603  |
Written by BitterCOld on 05.01.2012 at 22:29 This is something everyone should read every once in a while. And I want to be ahead of the "well if you don't love reviewing to death and you think it's a chore, why are you doing it? it's not like this is your job" crowd, and I'm sure there would be one. Not that the reviewers don't adore it. But there is something else in stake. I've only been a contributor/elite for two months, and I've reviewed 7 albums by request during that time, so I can't speak from personal experience. But dudes like Doc, BitterCold and Troy and others, who work closer with the labels or review more frequently, they receive fuckin' packages of stuff to go through. Sounds yay, lots and lots of new music? Sure, there is a lot of good stuff there, as well as stuff you can practice your writing on, to make an interesting review out of a non-interesting album. But after years of doing it, it starts to get dull - there are those mediocre albums that you've literally heard a thousand times AND written about thousand times, but you're still expected to write a realistic and different description of some generic death metal every time. And there is the abysmal crap - the kind that you'll have to hear at least a couple of times while beating yourself in the head for not spending that time on school/work/family/pet/significant other/a book/a friend/whatever. No one is forcing them to do it. They wouldn't be the first or the last staff member to retire. They're doing it because they see satisfaction in it, but there is a bad side to it. And when in the same month there is so much different stuff to be done around here - preparation of the Awards, the next issue of Clandestine Cuts, doing the database, doing those review requests AND reviews for albums you've heard and liked, proofing, modding, whatever the staff member in choice is doing - I don't think Troy should be blamed for doing a review in one day. He's a big boy and he knows when he's listened to enough of the album to form an opinion of it. There's a lot of talk about how the staff team should respect the members more, but I think it goes the other way around as well. Try it before you judge is what BitterCold said and I agree with him.
---- 7.0 means the album is good
Loading...
|
| pisymbol Posts: 193  |
Written by Milena on 06.01.2012 at 11:51 To BitterCold, MoraWinterSoul, and Troy: By no means was I insinuating Troy or any of the staffers are lazy or the job of a Metal Storm staffer doesn't require a lot of personal and professional sacrifice given the breadth of material you receive on a weekly basis. The sheer numbers BitterCold described are mind boggling. MoraWinterSoul's post above gives many of us an insight on what its like to review 'Lulu' over and over again. Talk about a real kill joy (sorry Troy, you are no 'Lulu' on repeat)! What's interesting was my original point was not that Troy reviewed it too fast but the source material should be of a certain level of quality before a staffer reviews it. I stand by this belief and feel YouTube streams of new albums are not sufficient for a fair review. Just to point out, BitterCold's wonderful post (sans capital letters?) tried to answer many of the classical philosophical questions regarding aesthetics: Can you form a legitimate (MS staffers are constantly on trial!) critique of a particular new art form (e.g. new heavy metal release, painting, book, air guitar move, etc.) after digesting it only once? Or does your opinion change significantly after re-interpreting a piece of art several times (in this case repeated listens)? Are these attributes always immediately self-evident in the material you are critiquing? To the general reader, there are no right answers. On a personal note, I thought the review was very well written (kudos Troy) and entertaining. I have however not even listened to this album fully to say whether I agree or disagree with its conclusion. I suppose I should listen to it and try Troy's shoes and review it (its on Spotify now yippee!).
Loading...
|
| Milena gloom cookie Staff Posts: 4603 |
Written by pisymbol on 06.01.2012 at 14:33 I guess we misunderstood you then. But just for the record, a lot of official promos come to us with a quality much, much lower than that youtube stream. I was personally surprised to hear such a good quality recording on it, and I usually complain about the sound all the time... you can go to that stream and check but I don't think its quality is too low.
---- 7.0 means the album is good
Loading...
|
| BitterCOld The Ancient One Admin Posts: 15288  |
Written by pisymbol on 06.01.2012 at 14:33 in all honesty, youtube is actually preferable to some of the delivery vehicles i have received from labels before. a major (well, in the metal sense) label sent me a disk to review a couple years ago... back in '09. the "disk" took the 8 or 9 songs, 40 minutes of music and chopped it into an Anal Cunt-esque 99 tracks or something, with many of them as short as 7 or 8 seconds. one song might be spread over as many as 12 "tracks". trying to go back 30 seconds to check out a riff again was a nightmare. i liked the album but the review process was absolutely maddening. so youtube is not optimal, and not something i'd use (i insist on disk if possible, else a legit download where 1 track is 1 track), but we've dealt with worse.
---- get the fuck off my lawn. Beer Bug Virus Spotify Playlist crafted by Nikarg and I. Feel free to tune in and add some pertinent metal tunes!
Loading...
|
| pisymbol Posts: 193 |
Written by BitterCOld on 06.01.2012 at 19:00 Wow. Any idea on why they do this? I mean c'mon....
Loading...
|
| BitterCOld The Ancient One Admin Posts: 15288 |
Written by pisymbol on 06.01.2012 at 21:30 to prevent piracy/leaking it, i think. but if you trust a webzine/magazine to review it you should trust their integrity not to put it up online for all. back to topic, it's on Spotify, the first entry in my 2012 playlist. look forward to checking it out.
---- get the fuck off my lawn. Beer Bug Virus Spotify Playlist crafted by Nikarg and I. Feel free to tune in and add some pertinent metal tunes!
Loading...
|
| Troy Killjoy perfunctionist Staff Posts: 21306 |
Written by pisymbol on 06.01.2012 at 14:33 Well I can honestly say I understand where you're coming from and I'm sorry for overlooking that aspect in your initial post. I was too focused on people calling me out for reviewing it too quickly, when in reality I did absolutely nothing different from my usual routine (although sometimes, admittedly, it takes me more than a day of a handful of listens to digest something). In my defense, the upload was official, band-sanctioned, and the quality was good to my ears. If it had sounded like it was recorded in a basement I would have waited another week to get a quality rip. However, as stated in my review, the production is actually above-average. And it's true about what others say about .mp3 format. To this day, the only reviews I've done of actual physical CDs, were the ones sent by Temple of Torturous. The rest are all .mp3 files. If the quality of an upload (such as one via Youtube) feels in any way sub-standard, I take no issue with awaiting a more legitimate version. But this stream sounded legitimate to me, so I had no problems with writing about it. 
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
Loading...
|
| Void Eater Account deleted |
|
| Troy Killjoy perfunctionist Staff Posts: 21306 |
Written by [user id=111774] on 07.01.2012 at 05:54 That joke is becoming worn thin, much like Neige.
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
Loading...
|
| Void Eater Account deleted |
Void Eater
Account deleted Written by Troy Killjoy on 07.01.2012 at 05:58 I actually never saw the joke before. Thought I was being original. 
Loading...
|
| Troy Killjoy perfunctionist Staff Posts: 21306 |
Written by [user id=111774] on 07.01.2012 at 06:06 The post that started the joke: Written by Fat & Sassy! on 06.08.2011 at 00:17 (Sorry for the quote, dude.)
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
Loading...
|
| Milena gloom cookie Staff Posts: 4603 |
Written by Troy Killjoy on 07.01.2012 at 05:58 Neige is indeed a very thin and graceful man. (was there something about "quality of posts" in the FAQ regarding the people who have an Elite status?  )
---- 7.0 means the album is good
Loading...
|
| Troy Killjoy perfunctionist Staff Posts: 21306 |
Written by Milena on 08.01.2012 at 00:59 I'm assuming no, because I'm a Staff member and my posts still aren't worth a dime.
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
Loading...
|
| -DC-002- Mastercommander Posts: 1703  |
Guhh.. I have the first two albums and they never impressed me to much. I appreciate where, Neige is coming from, but goddamn! The musics just too thin and floaty for me. If I had heard this stuff a handful of years ago, not being aware of other better bands of the associated genres, I would have probably shit my pants from their awesomeness or something like that... But alas, the old world will burn in the fires of industry.
---- Coldgrits
Loading...
|
| InnerSelf proofread free Posts: 2695  |
Written by -DC-002- on 08.01.2012 at 13:17 I think that Alcest is still the best in this particular style, even after this somehow disappointing release
---- He who is not bold enough to be stared at from across the abyss is not bold enough to stare into it himself.
Loading...
|
| 4look4rd The Sasquatch Posts: 841  |
I've only given a few spins but so far this sounds very "meh" to me. I am a complete outsider to Black Metal and Shoegaze but I thought Lune was a great album from start to end, I can't say the same for Voyages though. It has its moments, and like the reviewer said its a lot lighter than before. To me it felt like I was listening to the B side of a Novembre album.
Loading...
|
| MétalNoir Fils du Lys Posts: 847  |
Written by [user id=111774] on 07.01.2012 at 05:54 The Voyages of the Soul. Connard.
---- Notre destinée n'est pas encore tracée....
Loading...
|
| Justicelust Posts: 213  |
Good review, but I don't agree with the bad sides of this album written by troy. I think perfection is this album, I really enjoyed it. I wish Alcest stay like this, they became on of my favorite bands after this album, I just can't stop listening.
Loading...
|
| Milena gloom cookie Staff Posts: 4603 |
Written by 4look4rd on 11.01.2012 at 02:57 Congrats, you just found one of the things I was going to say too 
---- 7.0 means the album is good
Loading...
|
| Uldreth Posts: 1150 |
|
| X-Ray Rod Skandino Staff Posts: 18374  |
Written by Uldreth on 19.02.2012 at 14:52 Souvenirs d'Un Autre Monde has some cute nature pics but nothing too fancy. Écailles De Lune has just some line patterns scattered here and there in the pages... then again, the artwork is already gorgeous so I don't mind... Also, I own the box version and that is already a win. The latest version of Le Secret has the best booklet imo. SPECIALLY the digibook version which I honestly think it's gorgeous, many beautiful pics. Some pages about Niege talking about the formation of the band and about the EP, the lyrics AND translations of those two songs. Good stuff.
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
Loading...
|
| Uldreth Posts: 1150 |
|
| X-Ray Rod Skandino Staff Posts: 18374 |
Written by Uldreth on 19.02.2012 at 21:49 Just in case I wasn't specific enough: I'm just talking about the 2011 re-release of the EP, not the original one
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
Loading...
|
| Uldreth Posts: 1150 |
Written by X-Ray Rod on 19.02.2012 at 21:53 Yeh I guessed that, I don't think the original one is even being manufactured anymore since then the band wasn't signed to Prophecy. Plus there is that rambling about it in its topic that how expensive it is to get a hold of a copy of that.
Loading...
|
| Troy Killjoy perfunctionist Staff Posts: 21306 |
There was someone commenting in this thread a while back saying I should've listened to it more and I said I would, posting my opinion after doing so to see if it had changed. After like... two months, I'd actually probably drop it to a 7.3.
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
Loading...
|
| Troy Killjoy perfunctionist Staff Posts: 21306 |
Written by Cock is Intruder on 07.03.2012 at 05:10 (Not that it's related to the review...) It was a hoax website (as indicated by the fine print at the bottom). Joe was just having some fun with people inquiring about my absence.
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
Loading...
|
| X-Ray Rod Skandino Staff Posts: 18374 |
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
Loading...
|
Hits total: 13275 | This month: 29