Stéphane 'Neige' Paut's relationship with blackgaze is almost as volatile yet undying as Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne. The Alcest architect arguably invented the genre with the project’s 2005 EP Le Secret, but since then he’s thrice tried to escape its shadow: on the wholly post-rocking Souvenirs D’Un Autre Monde and Shelter albums, then most recently with 2019’s more metallic and cathartic Spiritual Instinct.
Unsurprisingly, the singer/multi-instrumentalist – joined by drummer Jean ‘Winterhalter’ Deflandre since 2009 – has always immediately returned to blackgaze’s dynamics, and Les Chants De L’Aurore marks yet another reunion. The guitars, razor-sharp on Spiritual Instinct, are tempered this time out, opener Komorebi pairing them with rich, symphonic strings. Winterhalter also dials down the aggro and, even when he occasionally picks up speed, Neige’s angelic vocals dominate the mix, their beauty washing away much of the brutality.
