Alcest – Les Chants De L’Aurore

It’s one of those days! The rare ones when you wake up feeling victorious, refreshed, and ready to take on the world! This unique occasion calls for a fitting soundtrack, and no other band defines the feeling of flying on a cloud towards freedom quite like Alcest. Their last two albums have been certified winners in my feline opinion, but now we’ve got Les Chants De L’Aurore in our claws, and it’s our duty to see if it stacks up in Alcest‘s illustrious catalogue. It’s emotion time!

Les Chants De L’Aurore feels warmer than Spiritual Instinct and Kodama, but don’t panic, it’s still as nostalgic and melancholic as any Alcest album. Instead of being lost in a magical forest at night, you’re now likely lost in the early morning, quickly finding your way home, speechless at the beauty of all the nature around you. Also, you’re a child during this adventure, seeing the world in an innocent and pure way you could never do as an adult. Yes, Les Chants is as pretty as our last MONO review (go check it out!), and there’s nothing wrong with that.

What stands out to me is the use of various sonic landscapes that evoke the curiosity of a child, clear from tracks like “Komorebi” and “L’Enfant de la Lune.” In that sense, this release delves further into ethereal experimentation than other entries in Alcest‘s discography. There are still harsh vocals in several tracks (“Améthyste”), but as usual, their use is so subtle and complementary that even your non-Metalhead friends could get into it. As always, I’m being positive, maybe too positive, but that’s these tracks’ fault! They’re so uplifting! We need to change that.

Honestly, there’s nothing wrong with Les Chants per se. Perhaps I found the pace (the middle of the album feels a bit slow) and length a bit challenging. It’s not that the album is remarkably long, but the tracks do take a lot of twists and turns. Maybe the album could’ve done well with a few minutes less. On a more personal note, it’s hard for Alcest to surpass its previous output, and though I don’t think Les Chants is worse, I’m not sure it’s better than Souvenirs D’Un Autre Monde or Kodama (I love you, Kodama!).

If you’re a Post-Rock/Metal fan and you enjoyed the latest MONO or previous Alcest albums, rest assured that you’re in good hands here. You’ll be set for a trip to your lost childhood, the one you miss or the one you never had (in which case, I’m sorry!). Alcest remains consistent in quality. You know, not every album has to reinvent the wheel; sometimes we need solace from the corrupt world. So enjoy this one while it lasts!

Label: Nuclear Blast Records

Release date: 21 June, 2024

Website: https://www.facebook.com/alcest.official

Country: France

Score: The sunshine that never came, or something between 3.5-4.0/5.o if you care, but you shouldn’t…