Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Quick round-up of news: Twilight, Alcest

Here’s a swift look at two news stories that popped up earlier in the week in case you missed them.

Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore has joined the black metal ‘supergroup’ Twilight. Yes, you read that right. The band helmed by Nachtmystium’s Blake Judd have left Southern Lord and found a new home at Century Media to record their third album, the follow-up to 2010’s Monument To Time End. The line-up will again include Leviathan’s Wrest on drums, Krieg’s Imperial, Sanford Parker (Minsk), Stavros Giannapoulos of The Atlas Moth, and Judd hopes to see ex-Isis mainman Aaron Turner return to the fold too.

Moore’s arrival at the band is definitely a shocker as none of us could see that one coming, but when you consider the evolution black metal has endured in the last decade or so, particular for USBM, an event like this was inevitable. It will be noted as another turning point for black metal and one that’s sure to piss off one or two purists in the process.

While on the topic of evolving black metal, France’s one time black metal figurehead Neige, the herald of Alcest, has announced that the band are already working on their fourth studio album after January’s radiant record Les Voyages De L'Âme. In an update posted on Alcest’s Facebook page, Neige stated that we “can expect something different from Alcest's previous releases”. Continuing: “I don't think there are any metal music elements anymore, though a lot of very intense parts and dynamics are still there.”

Each Alcest album has taken a consciously drastic step away from metal and album number four continues that trek. Most interestingly the band will record early next year in Iceland, namely Sundlaugin, the studio owned by Sigur Ros. Neige promises guest appearances on the record… so, a Sigur Ros collaboration of some kind?


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