For the uninitiated, Glaciation sees Alcest members Indria (bass) and Winterhalter (drums) take a break from their somewhat higher-profile day job and let their hair down with some rather invigorating post black metal. Given that their parent band has almost entirely jettisoned any pretentions towards extreme metal, one has a sense of two musicians enjoying a sense of release by being able to cut loose after the very restrained material that Alcest have produced of late. Quite simply, there’s a palpable sense of energy and ferocity that runs through (most of) ‘Sur Les Falaises de Marbre’.
Aided by Hugo Moerman on guitars, Francois Duguest on keys and the harsh vocal presence of RMS Hreidmarr, this second full-length release from the Frenchmen sees them deliver a real statement of intent. ‘Sur Les Falaises de Marbre’ certainly has one foot firmly in ‘post’ territory but their stock in trade is most definitely in ferocious, searing riffs underpinned by a sense of glacial melody and given a uniquely French twist. Opening with the 12 minute ‘Les Fiancees Sont Froides’ is a real throwing down of the gauntlet and shows that compromise is not on their radar. The song twists and turns but always remains anchored to the central approach outlined above.
Key to this distinctiveness is not the high-profile rhythm section (although both perform well and Indria in particular demonstrates a real melodic sensitivity) – instead, it is Moerman’s guitar style that really leaps out. It’s a thick, raw, characterful tone and showers the album with a soaring ferocity – the main riff of ‘Kaputt’ is pure black metal, all scything chords and pining lead motifs. The crunching chords that usher in ‘Le Soleil et l’acier’ are pure sludge meanwhile, putting plenty of meat onto the black metal bones.
A real highlight is the ascending passage mid-way through ‘Les Fiancees…’ in which a relatively conventional spiralling guitar line is given a sense of lift by an odd melodic twist reminiscent of traditional French music. Elsewhere, small flourishes of ambient synth break up the enveloping assault nicely. It is little idiosyncrasies such as this which elevate Glaciation and that palpable Gallic eccentricity is reminiscent of Pest Noire at times (a band in which both Indria and Winterhalter have also spent time).
Also distinctive but not necessarily so positively are Hreidmarr’s vocals. They ooze passion, granted, but at times veer dangerously close to something of a parody, the commanding yells and desperate shrieks occasionally at odds with the music playing out beneath them. Another slight issue with ‘Sur Les Falaises de Marbre’ is that thanks to the track listing, the record kind of peters out – after four lengthy tracks replete with plenty of twists and turns, ‘Cinq’ is a brief atmospheric interlude before the album concludes with the title track. All clean guitar and wistful vocals courtesy of a guest appearance from Alcest mainman Neige, it’s effective enough but a curious way to end the record.
Nevertheless, Glaciation do plenty enough across those first four songs to suggest that they really know how to craft a beguiling post black metal opus. Well worth seeking out.
( 8/10 Frank Allain)
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