The almighty shoegaze scene is back with a vengeance. Only this time it’s armed to the teeth with loud guitars, and the noise aint coming from Britain. Alcest is a two piece band from France. The members being Neige (Bass, vocals, drums, guitars), and Winster (drums). Together, they incorporate a heavy, black wall of beautiful melancholy noise. Think of it as Burzum, and Gallhammer showing up for tea at My Boody Valentine’s house, and Curve end up crashing the party. You sorta get the idea right?

This six song masterpiece clocks in at 40 minutes. Each track passes by you like radiant waves of silk. My favorite is the beautiful “Percees de Lumiere”. This lush track has an almost surreal feel, that is totally captivating. While “Ecailles De June (Part 1)” is a mystical eight minute ride into the unknown. What I love about this whole album, is the band takes their time to let each song breathe, and do not rush on making their point. Alcest takes the listener on a beautiful journey that is equal parts sensual, sad, and dark at the same time.

It’s nice to see the spirit of the early 90′s shoegaze scene in today’s new crop of bands. Hopefully this is just a small taste of what is to come from Alcest in the future.

Rating: 8/10