1. Obituary: Neige (Alcest)
In a fast paced world of grinding work and responsibility, many of us simply lack a few
minutes in our schedule to forget all about it, retreat into the one place we feel safe, and take
a moment to clear our minds and remember who we truly are. Wholly ethereal and down-to-
earth, the shelter from life was the driving inspiration behind the fourth studio album released
by the shoegazing exemplars Alcest, whose frontman and life force Neige was found dead on
the 17th July 2017.
Often seen as the founding father of the blackgaze genre, a unique fusion of the harshness of
black metal and warm, ethereal tones of shoegaze into its own form, Neige began with
humble beginnings growing up on the southern coast of France in the sun, away from the
hustle of the cities. It was here that he experienced what he liked to call ‘his dreamland’ a
series of incredibly vivid visions that captured his unique mind and inspired him to share what
he experienced with the world through music.
Beginning with humble roots in the town of Bagnols-sur-Cèze in Southern France, the first
iteration of his band was founded in the early noughties by himself and a couple of teenaged
friends. The trio initially dedicated themselves to play harsh, raw sound inspired by ‘winter
and the sad feelings this season conveys. ’ It wasn’t until midway through the decade that the
façade of Alcest began to change; the dreams that inspired the band became more prominent
and Neige decided to take his band in that direction, with lyrical work to share his childhood
experiences with others who may have shared a similar hallucination. His 2007 debut set the
metal world on fire, which had at this point remained deeply rooted with their rough, poorly
recorded riffs and harsh vocals. One member of the Rate Your Music community,
swirlsofnoise, described the album as ‘drenched in melancholy, atmosphere and beauty.’ Still
in the mindset of a Satanic and primitive act, his bandmates Aegnor and Argoth soon left the
group to focus on an act much more to their preferences: Peste Noire.
A man of many ‘faces’, as he referred to himself, Neige was soon a prolific member across
the emerging Post Black Metal/ Blackgaze scene. He himself described the Alcest side of
Neige as ‘the basis of my personality, its essence: a joyful and quiet man who is a reflection
of the music.’ Amesoeurs, an experimental post-punk outfit formed with several other well-
known musicians in the scene, was described as ‘more of an urban man who is completely
lost, sad and anxious, not knowing his goals anymore nor his desires. He doesn't know
himself any longer since he has accumulated a great deal of frustration and unspoken vices.’
Finally there was the side that the man himself despised and regretted, unfitting of his
personal views. For his short term in rival band Peste Noire, Neige described himself as ‘a
kind of old, evil and stupid witch whose unbearable stench is equaled only by his ugliness. My
urge of animal and primitive regression is embodied by this mix between a cave woman and a
fiend.’
Today Neige leaves behind a legacy of peace and tranquility; the lyrical themes of his work
are dedicated to this faraway dreamland that only he has imagined and experienced, and
gave us the privilege of offering a limited gateway through the music of Alcest. Neige was
described as a humble and grounded man in interviews and videos, never one to boast or
show-off to his camera. He remained firm in his belief that the music he was creating was in
his direction, unwavered by the hands of corporate greed ready to water down the finely
crafted landscape for mass market appeal and monetary gain. He could never stress enough
that it was not about the money or the fame, but simply a desire to understand himself and
connect with others who may have once traversed to this unknown land.
