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1. From Black Metal To Dream Pop: Alcest’s Evolution
Henry Buckham / Draft 1
First off I’d like to say that I know all about the flame war with Neige’s choice to finally throw
out all traces of Alcest’s black metal background with the release of Shelter. It’s all a matter of
taste whether or not you’re embracing this fairytale landscape the band is now crafting or
you’ve been plagued with sadistic urges to invade that pristine world and mess it up, taking it
all back to the raw and primitive origins of the French act.
And you know, it’s completely fine. As a long time fan of the band I can’t say I’m surprised at
all that Shelter finally broke the status quo of a shoegaze act with minor hints of black metal
from their riffs and vocals. The 2007 Souvenirs D’un Autre Monde certainly proved that a
change was on the way as Neige’s sound drifted from one of music’s most beastly gen res
into an idyllic dreamscape, even if the succeeding Ecailles de Lune presented itself as a
fusion of black metal and shoegaze, with the fan community coining the term ‘blackgaze’ to
describe the style. The title itself of their 2014 release definitely ties into their thinking of a
better and more peaceful world compared to the dystopia of corpses and demons that inhabit
Alcest’s early days.
This shift in direction comes from what Neige describes as a series of visions experienced in
childhood of a dreamland, free from pain and sorrow and a place to seek refuge whenever
the going was tough. Alcest has always been a personal project and it’s no surprise that the
style can change on a whim to suit Neige’s preferences at the time. Alcest’s other full-time
member Winterhalter (who is on drums) has stated that he took a while to get used to Alcest’s
softer approach, but eventually warmed up to the style and now collaborates fully with the
new material, particularly apparent with the new Shelter, produced in Iceland with Birgir Jón
Birgisson of Sigur Rós fame, that revolves around a safe place to escape reality and reunite
who we really are, deep down. The album itself a beautiful endeavour through Neige’s world,
with soft rolling melodies and refreshing emotion that set it apart to his other releases.
I’ll get it out into the open that I fully embraced their ascent into a Slowdive-inspired territory of
clouds and dreams simply because I believe that’s where they belong, especially with the
inspirational backing of Neige’s childhood experiences . It’s unique. Before 2007 the band was
what I considered run of the mill black metal, a genre unfortunately plagued with same-y
bands that reproduced the themes of death, misery and pain set out by the some of the most
legendary acts from its birthplace of Norway, including Mayhem, Burzum and Darkthrone. My
personal opinion is that, simply, Alcest’s early raw demos are easily forgettable and not much
of a loss when compared to Souvenirs and onward.
It is true that this change was not well received by the die-hard fans of Alcest’s metal roots,
understandably, and their complaints call back to the words of former member Aegnor (now
known as La sale Famine de Valfunde) who left Alcest in 2001 to focus on his own straight
black metal act Peste Noire, citing his departure as due to Alcest’s change of direction into a
fairy land unfitting of his personal views and wishes. Those views are certainly clear as day
when comparing Peste Noire’s primitive and chaotic sound to this new direction Neige has
embraced. That kind of backlash from his early fans is then quite justifiable considering that
the change in style could easily be seen by some as a direct attack against black metal and
what it stands for.
Nevertheless, while the band may have evolved in the studio, Neige has stated that they will
continue to play their previous songs live in concert, metal or not, thanks to their popularity.
This comes after his statement of that the music of Alcest is how he wants it to be, and that
he will not be influenced by popularity or opinion. But at live shows, his fans are most
important and his goal is to make sure that concert is an experience to remember. In his own
words, he may have lost a lot of fans, but he gained a lot of new fans. He hasn’t been part of
the ‘trve’ black metal scene for a long, long time, and I hope it s tays that way.