Alcest - Souvenirs D'un Autre Monde review
| 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 page 3 / 4
Comments: 101
Visited by: 375 users
| BitterCOld The Ancient One Admin Posts: 15287  |
Written by [user id=5630] on 18.12.2009 at 04:09 nor does your distaste for it change the fact that your point of comparison is ludicrous...
---- 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!
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| Insineratehymn Account deleted |
Insineratehymn
Account deleted Written by BitterCOld on 18.12.2009 at 05:04 
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| X-Ray Rod Skandino Staff Posts: 18374  |
Written by [user id=5630] on 18.12.2009 at 04:09 Objection! Really, it's not that hard to give good-enough arguments.
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Elite Posts: 40071  |
Written by X-Ray Rod on 18.12.2009 at 17:04 Apparently it is for him. How else can you make a compariosn betwene depressive black metal and Alcest? And post a stupid lame-ass picture in reply to BitterCOld? Cause it seems he doesn't know what to say and knows his comparison is like comparing a watermelon to a T-bone steak.
---- 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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| X-Ray Rod Skandino Staff Posts: 18374 |
Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 18.12.2009 at 18:50 I enjoy DSBM and Alcest just like I enjoy Watermelon and a nice T-bone steak, but that's the only way I can compare them.
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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| BitterCOld The Ancient One Admin Posts: 15287 |
Knock it off, bastards. now i'm craving steak and watermelon. and asian food. fuck the lot of you. no more happy alcest for me... time to put on suicidal black metal.
---- 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!
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| VPeter Posts: 1450  |
Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 18.12.2009 at 18:50 You're quite on grumpy roll lately Marcel, what's the matter? did all the Christmas bullshit and songs piss you off? Are you normally an Ebenezer Scrooge each time around Christmas?
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| VPeter Posts: 1450 |
Written by [user id=5630] on 18.12.2009 at 22:19 SHOW ME YOUR MOVES! To be ontopic again: I really do like this album, all tough I have to be in the "good melancholic" mood.
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| X-Ray Rod Skandino Staff Posts: 18374 |
Written by VPeter on 19.12.2009 at 21:32 Yeah.. I mean: You have to be in the good mood to enjoy Depressive Black Metal 
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Elite Posts: 40071 |
Written by X-Ray Rod on 19.12.2009 at 21:53 Well, I enjoy it (not Alcest  ) whatever mood I am in 
---- 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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| VPeter Posts: 1450 |
Written by X-Ray Rod on 19.12.2009 at 21:53 There is a difference between "good melancholy mood" and "depressing melancholy mood" if you know what I mean. Emo black metal sucks, no matter the mood
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| X-Ray Rod Skandino Staff Posts: 18374 |
Written by VPeter on 19.12.2009 at 21:58 Yeah... I know that difference. There's also a difference between liking DSBM and having terrible taste
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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| ylside Staff Posts: 4746  |
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| lord artan Posts: 297  |
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| tea[m]ster Au Pays Natal Contributor Posts: 5266  |
Just getting into this album. IMO this is the closest thing to anything "post metal" in Europe that we have here in the USA
---- rekt
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| Slayer666 Posts: 2466  |
Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 24.07.2007 at 17:51 That thing has a cult status? Sounded pretty boring and amateurish to me. I can't believe how much I like this album. Usually, I can't listen to music unless it's either dark/gloomy/depressive or violent/aggressive, but this... It has a somewhat melancholic tone, but is wrapped in calming, uplifting melodies that give me goosebumps every single time I listen to the album. Brilliant shit, just brilliant.
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| Oriax Posts: 52  |
Man this will teach me to buy albums before i read the review and comments... I just saw black metal with a rating of 8.7 and i orderd it dammit! "mellow, peacefull, uplifting" ffs i was thinking it was going to be like burzum's early days maybe, you know, howls shrieks and dark trance ambients black metal. Well now at leasts i can hear what this "shoe-gaze" thing is. What a stupid name for a metal style btw 
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| !J.O.O.E.! Account deleted |
!J.O.O.E.!
Account deleted Written by Oriax on 11.05.2011 at 16:24 How did you get early Burzum from "mellow, peacefull, uplifting"? And shoegaze isn't a metal style, that would be metalgaze probably.
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| X-Ray Rod Skandino Staff Posts: 18374 |
Written by Oriax on 11.05.2011 at 16:24 Yeah because names like "Death Metal" or "Black Metal" are so clever. Hopefully you will like the album though  Always nice to try something new.
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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| Oriax Posts: 52 |
Quote:Quote: Wow i was totally stupified! I must take back my previous comment about this type of music. It was so nice and refreshing to hear the beutifull vocals on this album, the french was so subtle and calm that it was like a cool breeze blowing my mind clean for a while. I listened to it just before i went to sleep, it is very nice to do some creative thinking and visualization with it and i must say this was a very nice suprise indeed.
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| X-Ray Rod Skandino Staff Posts: 18374 |
Written by Oriax on 12.05.2011 at 15:18 Glad you liked it. It's a really refreshing album, perfect for the spring/summer time. In case you want something *a bit* closer to metal, you should try Écailles De Lune + other stuff by Niege. Some people don't like Amesoeurs (quite similar but with a more "urban" vibe) but I think their debut (and only album) is pretty good as well.
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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| Sombre Posts: 23  |
I really like this album, but it is not as orgasmic as everybody says, well, not every song.
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| X-Ray Rod Skandino Staff Posts: 18374 |
Written by Sombre on 14.05.2011 at 08:09 This is far from being a orgasmic album, it's just music to calm down, enjoy the wind... smell the flower (it sounds chessy as fuck but that's the way I roll). Except for the ending of Ciel Errant, that is an orgasmn tbh.
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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| Sombre Posts: 23 |
Written by X-Ray Rod on 14.05.2011 at 12:47 Agree with you man.
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| Cryzpin Posts: 113  |
Well, what I hear is Enya after transsexual surgery, which went somehow wrong  . Having this promoted on domain called "Metal Storm" is something like having videos of playing kittens on "Porn Hub" portal, isn't it?  Maybe just put the end-year to "black metal" tag at the band profile.
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| Troy Killjoy perfunctionist Staff Posts: 21306  |
Written by Cryzpin on 07.10.2011 at 04:56 If those kittens are fucking, then ya.
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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| Cryzpin Posts: 113 |
Written by Troy Killjoy on 07.10.2011 at 09:28 Nice I'm glad you didn't take that too seriously, cause I actualy like the album (8 maybe 8.5), even as I disregard shoegaze. I was in an insomniac trolling mood while writing it.Edit: Apropos, your innuendo isn't that appropriate, just listen to the "Tir Nan Og" track - are you familiar with Enya? Do you still see those kittens fucking? More like licking each others face, right."
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| Troy Killjoy perfunctionist Staff Posts: 21306 |
Written by Cryzpin on 07.10.2011 at 11:30 I'm familiar with Enya, and while I understand where you get the comparison from (mostly the ethereal atmosphere and overall lightness brought on by the heavy shoegaze factor) there's still enough black metal (albeit it not an overt amount) to warrant its place on this site. Okay, let's compromise and say the kittens are at least making out. Maybe a boob grab every now and again, but nothing beyond that.
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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